


journey to uzushio!

by sirensukes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action & Romance, Falling In Love, Multi, Partially Deaf Naruto, Reincarnation, Revolutionary Rhetoric, Trans Character, Traveling, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, What-If, kind of but not really, more tags as we go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-07-24 01:36:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 62,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16170926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirensukes/pseuds/sirensukes
Summary: two boys realize there's more beyond the walls than the lives they live, and their hearts scream for revolution.( hiatus/being rewritten. )





	1. six years

**Author's Note:**

> hey gang, i'm back and i just finished watched the valley of the end fight in the original naruto series and got super mad at konoha ( and kishi lmao! ) and thought the prospect of naruto going to uzushio is interesting so here we go! hope you enjoy this first set up chapter!

It’s been six years since he’s lost his team for the second time. Six years ago, Kakashi had woken up to a pained and panicked Iruka, the other man’s chest heaved in a way he’s never seen before, and his eyes were filled of tears that never quite spilled.

_ ( “Iruka?” Kakashi had said, trying to hide the slight panic in his voice and even with the darkness of his room he can see the flush on Iruka’s face, the puffiness of his eyes. It was unusual, seeing someone else on his window sill and not the other way around, and even more so when someone like the Chūnin insists on using the door like a normal person. “What is it? What happened?” _

_ “Sasuke, Naruto, they’re gone,” Iruka breathed out, and Kakashi’s heart jumped up into his throat because no, that has to be wrong, _ **_why would they._ ** _ “We have to find them before Hokage-sama--” ) _

“Senpai.” He hears Yamato say, and Kakashi slowly blinks as he silently takes in the space around him. And he’s grateful for it; after all, it’s been six years since the loss of Naruto and Sasuke. It’s been twelve since the loss of Obito and Rin. He will never forget them-- no, that would be a dishonor on all their names, and the nightmares that plague his slumber are intend to make him remember as much as possible--, but he has to stop reopening this box. Especially when he’s not alone. “We’re nearing the bridge.”

“Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asks, her voice soft and filled with concern. If Kakashi had to go up to whatever God exists upstairs, he’d thank them for at least letting him have Sakura, even if it was selfish. But her being here makes the loss less heavy, makes him feel he hasn’t failed completely as a mentor. As a friend. As a person.

She has grown much in the last six years, and she, too, feels his same loss. They were her boys, after all.

“Yeah.” Kakashi replies, very much for her sake, because even though she tries hard not to, Kakashi can feel the tension coming off of her. Because they’re walking down the same path, the differences being there is now a bridge-- _The Great Naruto Bridge_ \--and no Team 7.

He takes a brief look at his current team, though. The one that matters. Yamato, Sakura, Ino, Sai. A fine team-- with Ino here in particular as a sensor.

But enough of that. There’s a mission on hand. They had come on reports of something suspicious arising around the perimeter of the Land of Waves, and while that alone shouldn’t have been enough to warrant an actual mission, apparently the mass amount of people who reported in was. Now that they’re approaching the area, Kakashi supposes it holds some truth.

For some reason, the grass has become… greener, giving easily underneath his feet. The trees are definitely clearing out, but the barks are rich, and even when the leaves should be falling The wildlife around here seems to be thriving, even so close to the ocean. It’s odd; he remembers fog. Remembers stuffy, salty air and dying plants. And while he could chalk it up to something like the residents of the Land of Waves taking care of the life around their bridge, it doesn’t sit well with him.

“I heard a lot about the Land of Waves, but I never thought I’d get to see it in person.” Ino says, fingers combing through her ponytail, as if she’s afraid that the increasing humidity’s going to make it puff up. While Kakashi definitely still thinks it’s no use worrying about looks, he’s glad that she at least isn’t trying to look pretty for some boy. Though, some girl is still just as bad, he thinks.

“Let’s just hope this goes as smoothly as we want it to,” Sakura says. The strain between nations had already existed long ago, but it only got worse over the last few years. She doesn’t know the details, but apparently Konoha was not the only village who’s missing its valuable assets, and with no one to point fingers to all there can be is hostility that is just a trigger away from bringing up all out war.

“Let me do the talking.” Kakashi says, putting on his best Diplomatic Voice before smiling behind his mask, walking towards the guards at the bridge. Realistically, he wouldn’t have to worry about them too much; after all, the Land of Waves even after all this time has no shinobi, no real threat that his team wouldn’t be able handle. But he’d rather avoid conflict if he can.

“Hello guys,” Kakashi says, and can almost hear Ino snorting behind him. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

Now, it’s been a very long time since he’s seen the bridge, since he’s even been around these parts. So when the two guards lift their tired gazes off the ground and look at him, he’s surprised to see them gaping their mouths.

“H-Hi!” One of them says enthusiastically, his smile wide as he fixes the hat on his head. “Kakashi-sensei, Haruno-san, it’s good to see you again! What brings you to the Land Of Waves?”

“Oh, you know. Konoha’s gotten all stuffy with green. Thought it would be nice to change scenery.” Kakashi says, wrinkling his eye from his smile as he waves at the other guard, who seems like she’s still in a state of awe. In all honesty, he was thinking his luster was fading by now. “Just kidding. We wanted to make a quick stop. Mind if we pass through?”

“Ah, of course! If you may provide some identification, please?” Says the guard. Kakashi nods, waving a hand and instructing that everyone else show theirs. While the Land Of Waves isn’t as big as the other villages, he can’t blame them for wanting to protect their land, especially when it’s been on the high. With a final goodbye, they’re finally walking on the bridge.

“It seems like you have made a reputation here.” Sai comments, face neutral as he looks around. He’s so different from Naruto and Sasuke-- _why does he have to keep coming back to_ _them, why_ \--, but he’s pleasant. Enough, anyway. Sakura moves ahead of the group, naturally pulling Ino after her with gravity alone. The two have been orbiting each other this entire trip, really.

“It’s been so long!” Sakura exclaims, and Kakashi can imagine the wonder in her eyes as she folds her hands behind her back. “I mean, last time we came here, I was still just a small little genin!”

“And you still are. In here.” Ino muses as she taps her chest, laughing as Sakura knocks their shoulders together. It’s very cute, Kakashi thinks. Really does remind him of simpler times. And when they were, like, two feet tall.

The sun feels nice against what little skin he’s showing, though the salt in the air is something he’s not fond of, too used to the smell of greenery. The vast amount of water around them is also something he’s not a fan of, too easy to be susceptible to things like flooding or the likes of it, but there’s no point in thinking about any of this. A seagull dives down from the skies, hovering dangerously over Yamato, and Kakashi might even activate his sharingan right now just to save this moment if what he thinks is going to happen does.

“Oh, no…” Yamato says, visually looking displeased as he calmly ( though a bit hastily, Kakashi knows ) tries to move somewhere else. Kakashi can’t help but chuckle.

“Must be that bird’s nest of yours.” Kakashi teases, and it earns him a look from the younger man, which is always worth it. In all honesty, he’s glad that the man had agreed to come; even jabbing jokes at his expense is enough for Kakashi to breathe a little easier. He is, after all, one of the few people in Kakashi’s life that haven’t been lost in this hell called shinobi life. If he could, if the world was ideal, maybe he…

“Looks like it’s found a new playmate.” Yamato says, a small upturn of his lips as Kakashi looks over and… well. Sure enough, the damn bird’s sitting on Sai’s head.

“I think we’re bonding.” Sai says flatly, but that’s alright. At least his face gives away that he’s happy about his new… friend. Kakashi opens his mouth to comment, but another voice pulls every single one of their attention towards it, a collective turn of heads.

“Oi, Mao! I thought we were having a competition here!” A loud, rather rough looking boy says, hours of working out in the sun evident in his complexion. He has black hair pinned back, and though he looks way older than how Kakashi remembers him, there’s no mistaking who he is. He briefly looks at Sakura, whose eyes have literal stars, and hell if they’re throwing the rest of the squad out of the loop. But Kakashi nudges Yamato and Sai on either side of him, encouraging them to follow. “If you don’t get into gear, I’m gonna to win the bet! And you know the punishment for losing!”

“Didn’t know we had a gambler on our hands.” Kakashi says, and it’s amusing how fast Inari looks up from his friend, who’s collapsed on the ground. The boy almost lets the planks of wood he’s carrying on his shoulder drop, but he readjusts them with ease and a big, big smile.

“Kakashi-san! Sakura-neechan!” Inari says, clearly excited. Sakura chuckles a bit as she reaches to ruffle the boy’s hair, and Kakashi breathes out an amused sigh through his nose when he notices Ino’s eyes flicker between the two. “Hi! It’s been a long time-- who are these guys with you?”

“I’m Ino,” says the blonde, clearly finding her chance to interject. Kakashi has no qualms with it. He prefers if everyone introduced themselves anyway. She whips her hair out of the way as she offers her hand, and Inari takes it with ease. He’s definitely grown, Kakashi thinks.

“Inari,” The boy says, and Kakashi almost snickers when he sees Ino grimace just a bit. Probably because of a sweaty hand. He then looks at the other jounin on the team, who graciously offers his own hand.

“Yamato. A pleasure to meet you, Inari.” Yamato says with a smile. He doesn’t seem to mind.

“Sai.” Sai says simply, and when Inari holds out his hand for a shake, Kakashi notes how Sakura nudges him to take it. Good, he’ll get the hang of it… eventually.

“Nice to meet all. Where are you guys going? On another mission? Wait, nevermind, of course you are,” Inari says, still using that free hand of his to pull his friend up onto his feet, only to push his forward toward the group. “Hey, hey, this is Mao!”

Mao looks to be around Inari’s age, his hair a sandy brown and sticking up in weird angles and glued to his face from sweat. He must got some sort of blush creeping on his face, because he tries to avoid everyone’s gaze. Kakashi has to strain to hear the quiet ‘hello’ that crawls out of his mouth.

“I think you’ve already won the bet if he’s this winded,” Ino says with a smile and a raised brow, crossing her arms, and Mao huffs. Kakashi knows the face of someone who’s about to argue but decides not to for one reason or another. But Ino doesn’t seem to mind, only laughing a bit. “Sorry, sorry. Bad first impression, I know.”

“Nah, let him have it. Maybe if a pretty girl tells him the truth, it’ll be easier to accept.” Inari teases, and only barely manages to move out of the way from the kick Mao tries to give him. “Anyway, do you guys need a place to stay? Jiji would love to see you guys again! And meet you guys, too.”

“A place to stay would be nice. Could cut our costs by half.” Kakashi says with a smile. It feels… nice, really. Almost like no time has passed. “That is, if it’s okay with your mother. How’s she doing, by the way?”

“I’ll tell you on the way home!” Inari says brightly, having to readjust the planks on his shoulder again before turning on his heel. Yamato and Sai give him brief glances, both their own way of showing concern, and Kakashi only shrugs as he follows the two kunoichis run after him.

 

* * *

He can almost imagine them. Naruto and Sasuke, barreling through that same front door they had come in through.

Of course, Inari had mentioned them, asked the team where they were. And while Sakura was giving him a look to shut him up, Kakashi was outright with it, preferring not to beat around the bush. You can bet that the rest of dinner was really, really awkward.

 

* * *

The next morning, Tazuna refers them to the local captain who’s renting out boats, who also is about the third person today to refuse payment ( the first being Tsunami, obviously, said that what Team 7 did was more than enough ). The team of five scramble to fit onto the tiny boat, with Yamato stand and making an oar of his own. While all their knees and shoulders are touching, they fit, and that’s what matters.

“So what’s the plan, Kakashi-sensei? What do you think is going on?” Sakura asks quietly, hunched over with her hands on her knees. Ino, of course, is next to her, hair in a braided bun for the sake of practicality.

“Well, with as much information as we have now, I’m not sure.” Kakashi says through a sigh, resisting the urge to lean back because it Will mean his doom. “If chakra signatures are what’s making people uneasy, we may just have to drift around the area, see if we could find anything. So Ino-chan, I want you to have all senses out, okay?”

“You got it.” She says, and the familiar feeling of chakra that only a Yamanaka can have fans out from her, invisible but still there, steady. He remembers a time where his kids could barely muster enough to use on their feet. Maa, he feels old.

“Sai, I want you to scan the area above, in case you find something we don’t.” He continues, the boy-- or man? He is old enough. -- taking out a scroll, a bird flying free the moment he unravels it. Preparedness is one thing Kakashi can definitely like him for. “Sakura, you’re the heavy hitter if something happens. Yamato, you’re last defense. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yessir,” Yamato and Sakura say in unison, and Kakashi’s lips go taut behind his mask as he looks around. There’s nothing except sea, spanning for miles; even Kirigakure and the Wave Country aren’t anywhere to be seen, just the ocean. How peculiar it must be that people have managed to pick something up from here.

For a while, nothing happens. The sky is not as clear as yesterday, greying as time passes, and yet the waters they’re on don’t stir. The tides are calm; eerily so. At some point, Kakashi takes a look over at his team, and they’re all slouching a bit more than when they first got here. He can’t blame them-- these days, it’s getting harder to not fall asleep during meetings. But something cuts through the silence, revitalizing.

“There’s something west of us.” Ino says, her eyes having closed for the sake of concentration, and Kakashi furrows his brow a bit. “I can’t make it out precisely, but something’s blocking my senses. That’s what I’m picking up.”

“Hm.” Yamato says from behind him. Even from that alone, Kakashi can see the gears turning. “Sai?”

“There’s nothing that my bird can see or feel.” Sai informs, a bit of a frown on his face as he looks up at Yamato. “I think we may have to get closer.”

“That settles it, then. Heave ho, stay on your toes.” Kakashi says simply, though he can only wonder what this is all about. It was foolish to come here with so little information, but that’s why they’re here in the first place. He calmly takes a kunai out of his pouch, putting his thumb through the hole as Yamato rows them towards the site.

Right then, the very bow of the ship knocks into something, but it’s no wall. Hell, nothing is there. and even when the rest of the team is startled Kakashi’s face only hardens. He’s not stupid; there must be some kind of barrier jutsu in affect.

“Oh, this is definitely it.” Ino says, eyes blinking open. Sakura’s brows furrow.

“What could a barrier be doing in the middle of the ocean…?” She asks, but Kakashi knows she’s really just talking to herself. He tries to recall anything similar to this. “What if… is there something underwater keeping it up?”

“I doubt it.” Yamato says. “Whoever is doing this, they must have a good grasp on their stuff. You could almost mistake it for genjutsu from how… perfect it is.”

Kakashi gives the kunai in his grip a few more turns. “Dodge,” He says simply, throwing the tool towards the barrier, satisfied when his teammates lean out the way but unsatisfied when he finds that the kunai doesn’t even make a sound when it hits the barrier, falling into the water.

“It’s going to rain,” Sai comments, and Kakashi looks up to the sky. It’s true, the clouds are rolling in. But it seems to be growing increasingly… dark.

“Could it be…” Sakura mutters, and Kakashi turns his head towards her.

“What’re you thinking about, Sakura-chan?” Kakashi asks, and Sakura brings her hand to her own weapons pouch. Kakashi already doesn’t like where this is going.

“I think,” She says, and immediately throws a shuriken towards the barrier, Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t catch, no reaction whatsoever. But there is a slight bounce to the water than makes the boat rock a bit. “There’s something weird going on with this barrier and the nature around it.”

“Agreed.” Yamato says behind Kakashi. “I don’t think throwing things at the barrier’s smart, though. We’ll be losing more weapons.”

“But we have to get through somehow. Is anyone familiar with barrier ninjutsu?” Sai asks. If it were anyone else, he’d have everyone glaring at him. But because it’s Sai, Kakashi thinks, he’s probably asking a genuine question.

“... Not if they’re not ones on the mind.” Ino says. She then turns to Kakashi. “So what’s the plan?”

Kakashi sighs. It’s tricky, considering they could risk showing the enemy their ju tsu while in turn knowing next to nothing. The barrier also hasn’t reacted to their weapons, but the same can’t be said for chakra. Another sigh as he gets up from his seat, the boat tilting just slightly because of his weight.

“I’m going to punch it.”

“Punch it?” His team says altogether, but the tones aren’t as harmonious, varying very well from  **_WHAT THE FUCK_ ** to  _ what the fuck?  _ Kakashi shrugs, looking over his shoulder with a crinkle of his eye. “You’re not serious,”

“What? It won’t hurt. Hopefully.” They hadn’t tested the barrier against flesh. But his hand curls into a fist, crashing it against the barrier. Not a single reaction from the barrier itself, but the sea definitely has something to say about it. How strange. He can hear how the others shuffle behind him. Instead of a punch, he gives the barrier a flick, creating another stir. Maybe if they--

“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asks, though her voice sounds like it’s quivering a bit. The water activity is picking up now, their little boat rocking, even with Yamato’s efforts to stabilize it. Kakashi can see how just a ways away, there’s a small swirl, and his brows furrow.

“Whirlpools.” He says to himself, turning to look at Sakura, who has a map in hand. She seems to not get the same idea, but something like it, and it’s enough. But there’s no possible way, he thinks, that this could be… well. He’s never seen it-- he’s heard tales, though, from none other than Uzumaki Kushina, his sensei’s wife. However, that’s not the only thing he remembers her as; more like a really terrifying ex-jounin who definitely deserves more credit. She didn’t speak much about its destruction, but of its prosperity, most likely in an attempt to shine light on it rather than mark it off as another tragedy.

He remembers a time when the Land of Whirlpools was on the map. He’s living in a time where it doesn’t exist.

The sea only roars to life, creating swirls here and there, though they seem to be… coming towards them. Like the boat is a target. And it was only a matter of time till they build up to become maelstroms, he thinks. But before he could give an order, the sea beneath them begins to swirl, the boat slowly turning.

“Oh, fuck.” Sai says flatly.

“We have to fall back!” Ino says, grabbing onto the side of the boat. And while yes, kakashi agrees that it’s a bad idea to stay here, it doesn’t seem like the ocean’s going to let them go. Especially when it looks like it’s trying to come after them.

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy,” He says simply, hunkering down when the boat jolts, and he could hear the silent surprise coming from his team as the whirlpool only seems to grow. The wind around them also seems to do its own thing as it dances around, and the clouds rumble with a low sound. Stuff of legends, really. “Sai, we’re going to need a bigger b--”

The sea beneath them suddenly opens up, the spray covering the lot as they descend quickly right into the center of the maelstrom, hitting the actual-- get this-- _ floor.  _ The bottom of the boat literally breaks on impact, Kakashi’s knees hitting the wet sand.

“What the hell?!” Ino hisses, but Kakashi is more concerned about the fact that the ocean has started to divide, like a path, and though water spills on them as it does it doesn’t seem like it has plans to swallow them. “What is this?!”

“Looks like you pissed them off.” Says a voice. It’s not booming, not sudden. It’s more of a distant ring, like the bells on senbon he had used time and time again. and Kakashi can feel his stomach churn as much as the water around them. He can sense how Sakura and Ino tense up, the only two people who could actually know, the two people who can understand why Kakashi’s muscles seem to strain underneath his uniform.

The barrier-- or, at least, the part of it right in front of Kakashi, breaks out with a gust of wind, and Kakashi instinctively rises to his feet and raises his kunai in front of him, unable to charge it with electricity because that’s  _ bad fucking idea _ in the middle of the sea. But it almost falls from his hand as his single eye takes in the view before him.

The sky’s breaking, the sun beginning to pour in, and it almost blinds him with its radiancy, but only in that little spot. There’s a long piece of stone, flat like a path right in front of them, but the attention lies on the large, bold red gate, intricate golden designs lining up the pillars. There are lanterns hanging off of it, swaying in the breeze with the sound of chimes. A swirl is perched right at the center of it on the top, shining in the sun. Two young men are standing on either side of it.

One, with his hair as red as the gate he stands on with his arms crossed, tufts looking like embers because of the light coming down on him. And another, whose hand is resting on a katana, eyes a rich red that is unmistakable.

It’s been six years since he’s lost his team for the second time. And after those long, long years, the ghosts have come back to haunt him once more.


	2. enter: naruto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boy who transcends time even if he can't read a standard clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another fresh chap for yall! hope you all enjoy!

Naruto had always known that there was something different about him. He just didn’t know which one he was hated for.

At first, Naruto thought they hated him because he’s a clown. Because he dared to do what others wouldn’t, like drawing a peen on the Second Hokage’s nose. Because he screamed and roughed the place up, and while everyone around him found his screeching bothersome and while he tries to think otherwise, it’s a cry for attention. For help.

He thought they hated him because he doesn’t do well with showcasing jutsus in the Academy, the ones needed to graduate in particular. Because he ‘doesn’t listen to directions’ both metaphorically and literally. _ But it’s not fair, _ a voice in his head says, time and time again, sounding much like his own but not quite. He doesn’t know who the hell it is.  _ It’s not fair, because you’re special. _ And while he asked the voice what they meant, there had been no answer.

He thought they hated him because of the demon instead of him, whom he himself didn’t know of its existence until he was fooled by one of his Academy teachers into stealing a sacred scroll, full of secrets, taunted him for his loneliness and sorrow that Naruto tries so desperately to bury. He heard the whispers—  _ that’s no child, that is a monster, hell waiting to be unleashed _ —, caught glares that chilled him to the bone. But he himself didn’t want to believe it to be true, and yet there was Iruka-sensei, yelling about how they weren’t supposed to talk about it, and it turned out everyone  _ but _ Naruto knew what the seal on his stomach meant.

As it turns out, they hate him for all of the above, and he’s helpless against it.

But it’s okay, he can deal with it. Even though he’s been driven so close to the edge before—  _ the rapid river current, the height of his building, the glint of a kunai _ —, he can carry the weight of abhorrence on his tiny back. Because there was one way he can prove to everyone that he is not what they make him out to be, that he’s more than just a demon or some piece of trash. He can see his path to being recognized and loved by all now as he looks up at the tower painted in brick red, shining orange, and the strong kanji for fire. He can see himself standing, right on the balcony, with a long red coat and flames dancing across the hem. The crown is on his head, and the whole world is looking at him.  _ Hokage. _

Fuck yeah. That’s the dream.

_ At least, I think it is, _ he thinks.

It’s not so lonely, though, because he does have people who care if he dies. Or even just stop leaving the house. Iruka-sensei is one of them. He buys Naruto food when he can, helps him tidy up his home, sometimes even walks him home through the shady district he lives in if Naruto doesn’t have after school detention. Unlike everyone else, Iruka-sensei had never hated him. Never gave him a look, always ruffled his hair instead. And even when Naruto learned that the beast within him had destroyed his life prior, the tears that Iruka-sensei shed were not for his dead parents; no, they were for him, and Iruka-sensei had told him how much he loves him. Even now, Naruto can feel the wetness of Iruka’s tears falling on his face, and he subconsciously pats the pocket of his backpack where the headband is hidden. He won’t wear it until tomorrow.

His life would’ve been so, so different if Iruka-sensei’s light hadn’t been there to guide him through the everyday darkness. Sounds as dramatic as it feels.

There’s someone else, too, Naruto’s feet moving like they’re on autopilot as he folds his arms behind his head. For years now, they’ve been together— he still remembers when they first met, how a boy with dark hair and even darker eyes tilted up his chin, trying to look bigger than he was. How that same boy told Naruto he couldn’t even compare ( he still tells him this by the way, because he’s still an asshole ), and what should’ve been their first handshake was their first fist fight instead.

But that had still made all the difference. Because while everyone else didn’t give him the time of day, while everyone else didn’t dare touch him because he’s a monster, this annoying kid did. He saw him as another student, another person, and nothing else. The same boy, now older, is seated at the dock of the lake that Naruto always finds him brooding at.

“Oi, Sasuke! How long are you going to sit there before your feet get all pruney?!” Naruto shouts, making his way towards him. Sasuke’s back is still turned to him, which he’s glad for, because he almost tripped. He makes his way over to his rival— their label, because it’s too embarrassing to say ‘best friends’—, taking a seat next to him. “They must look so ugly right now.”

“You’re so loud. A shame you don’t have a volume control dial somewhere.” Sasuke says, only scooting closer because Naruto has hearing problems. He raises one foot out of the water. “Shinobi feet don’t look pretty, dobe.”

Naruto can see the wear on Sasuke’s legs, his feet. There’s some cracking on his heel, some bruises here and there. While he’s seen Sasuke be an absolute showoff with his ninjutsu, his taijutsu is just as bad, and Naruto would get his ass handed to him on a silver platter when they’d have to spar in the Academy.

( However, when they spar on their own in the backwoods of the Uchiha Compound, they’re almost matched up. Because Naruto has always had his own way of doing things, and taijutsu was no exception. Sasuke only calls him  _ dobe _ because he’s bad at things when they count. )

“Hey, I never said they had to be!” Naruto barks, and Sasuke tilts his head to the side, a hand over his ear. Man, he could only imagine what Naruto sounded like when he popped out the damn womb. “Gah, you’re so—! I hope I don’t land on the same team as you tomorrow!”

Ah, right. Tomorrow, they’re finally going to be deemed genin of Konoha. Sasuke can barely remember any of the students in his class, and Naruto knows this very well— he can only remember Sakura and Ino. Not because they’re strong or stand out, but because they’re in his face 90 percent of the time when he’s around them. And while Naruto, too, has no idea about what personal space is, at least he actually sees Sasuke beyond his looks.

“Tch. I’d feel sorry for anyone who has  _ you  _ on their team, usuratonkachi. They won’t be able to handle you.” Sasuke says with a smirk, pulling both his feet out of the water now and shaking off the excess. And even if it’s a joke, Naruto can feel heat building up in him and rising to his face.

“Yeah! Because I’m totally awesome and full of raw power!” Naruto retorts, not budging when Sasuke leans over across him to reach his shoes. Instead, he uses the opportunity to give a bonk on the Uchiha’s head, which results in him getting hit in the face with a shoe. Was it really worth it? “Bleh! Mr. Stinky Toes! King of Shinobi’s foot!”

“Shut up already.” Sasuke says with a roll of his eyes, tugging on the shoes before rising up to his feet. He doesn’t offer Naruto a hand—  _ how rude, _ a voice in his head says, and he has to agree. Stupid Sasuke. —, only shoving them into his pockets. “It’s getting late. We should go before the mosquitos eat us to death.”

“You mean eat  _ you _ to death! I’m a repellent!”

“Yeah. Because you probably taste awful.”

“Hey!”

He doesn’t know when it happened, but at some point he had started visiting Sasuke’s family compound. Sasuke never came to his place— it was far too populated, far too ‘gross’ ( though, Naruto didn’t mind the ladies working in teahouses he wasn’t allowed to enter in, they were nice ), and they’d have to either be ignoring each other completely or fighting. But Sasuke’s place is different; it’s secluded from the rest of the village, surrounded by big thick trees, and a pretty river nearby.

But it’s also really, really big. Really, really lonely.

It’s no secret to anyone in the village; the Uchiha Clan massacre. The weight of a burden forced on Sasuke, as the only surviving member, to live up to his clan name. Sasuke gets all the attention in the village, gets all the praise in the world for his skills, all the girls love him and all the boys want to be him, but everyone only sees him as Uchiha Sasuke. Nothing more.

But Naruto knows things about him no one else does. He knows Sasuke’s favorite vegetable (  _ ‘It’s a fruit, dobe,’ _ ) are tomatoes. He knows that Sasuke likes to do archery, but wants to learn kenjutsu. He knows Sasuke hates rainy days because the various ponds in the area overflow, the one his house is built over being the worst. He knows that Sasuke always prays at a small shrine in some part of the house, once in the morning and once at night. He knows that Sasuke has to also take care of the Uchiha Shrine, way up on a hill, and Naruto has been there once. Him and no one else.

And there are some things Sasuke knows about him that no one else does. Like his own special eyes, that aren’t dojustu but just as precious.

It’s a miracle how Sasuke is still around, still able to do things, rise above the massacre of his clan. Naruto knows it’s selfish, but just like how Sasuke keeps him grounded on this Earth, he likes to think he does the same for him.

“We should celebrate, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto suggests, and his friend quirks up a brow. Of course he wouldn’t be on board with the idea. He never does, at first, but Naruto is nothing but a persistent little man. He does this in the form of throwing his arm around the Uchiha’s shoulders, only grinning widely when he hears a groan. “You know, since we’re going to be genin and stuff! Who knows if we’ll be able to hang out like this again!”

“... Hn. Yeah, right. You’re just saying that so you can raid my fridge.” Sasuke says, shrugging off his arm in emphasis. “I haven’t done grocery shopping. So go home and do something else.”

Naruto juts his lower lip out, crossing his arms as they approach the entrance to the compound. The wood of the clan emblem looms over it, chipped and worn from the changing of seasons, but it’s still been freshly painted by Sasuke himself. He thinks what lies beyond the entrance; the sound of wind flowing through empty houses, the lack of chatter that surely should be happening, and Naruto doesn’t really know if they’re real or not but Sasuke says the place has ghosts walking.

Naruto doesn’t want to leave him alone with the ghosts. Not tonight. So he gears up, takes Sasuke by the wrist despite his protests, and drags them into the village, where they then eat ramen together, talk the night away, and only when Sasuke gives him one tiny smile does he feel like he’s done enough.

 

* * *

 

The last thing Naruto looks forward to in life is living in dreams.

He knows next to nothing about the people he dreams as. And they’re different, too, so he never gets bored! He hadn’t really come to think of them it as ‘living’ until just recently, when he read some children’s book about some guy who died once but came back years later.  _ ‘Reincarnation’  _ they call it, but Naruto doesn’t think it’s the same concept. Because how could you be reincarnated as, like, three different people at once?

The dreams come few and far between. When the world around him fades into nothing, and a new one paints his consciousness. In such a world, he can pretend he’s not hurt by reality. He can live as someone else, with people who don’t know who he is, what he has inside of him.

The first dream he had, it looked like it was set in ancient times. Like, really, really ancient times. He vaguely remembers it— only through bullet points in his dream journal that’s tearing at the seems—, but the feelings that it brought him were nothing short of pride and strength, both for him and the person he lived as.

 

* * *

 

 

_ Standing with one foot propped up on the railing, he— or, with these eyes, she,—leans forward, the breeze passing through her red locks as she observes the large span of blue before her, no sight of land, but that’s okay. After all, her people had once risen from the sea, created by its water and held together by what it brought with it; life. Their dearest Goddess of the Maelstrom, who blesses them everyday with the gift of being able to wake up and travel the globe, made sure of that. _

_ It’s not often that the Uzumaki are drawn to an energy. Though they’re all together, on a gargantuan ship that can sustain itself and is bursting with color and liveliness, they are always moving. Always discovering. There was no particular pull, because the Uzumaki are pulled everywhere, with their heightened senses and their adoration for exploration. _

_ Uzumaki Himari couldn’t help but drop the scroll when she had felt the breeze caressing her, in a way that said _ listen, bring your eyes here, there is something for you. _ It was a feeling unlike any other; something that felt like yearning, and yet, she couldn’t figure out why that was, because everything she had was right here. _

_ But the wind was persistent— always has been—, pushed her gently towards the bow of the ship. And she could swear, had it not been a grand disrespect, that the ocean was responding in its own way, had been turning the boat. Immediately, she had set her eyes where the earth separates the sky, and knew that the nature around her was beckoning her to follow its guidance. _

_ “Shizue-chan,” Himari calls out, and even with the sound of laughter and loud music and chanting, her trusted companion had pulled through, walking towards Himari’s side. The smile plastered on her face is practically infectious, and Himari finds herself mirroring it. “Tell me, what do you see over there?” _

_ The younger Uzumaki juts her lip out, squinting as she tries to sees what Himari is talking about. She always takes things so literally, and Himari can’t help chuckle, just a little bit. “It seems like there’s a lot of water, Himari-neechan.” _

_ “Ah. That’s only because you are only looking with your eyes.” Himari says, smiling wider when Shizue only furrows her brows in further confusion. She always said Himari made no sense half of the time. “You want to know what I see?” _

_ Brown doe eyes only blink at her in response, and that familiar breeze passes by again. Himari turns to look at the horizon once more, where the sun is just beginning to break through, sparking what once a deep blue sky with its fire. Though there is war on land, there will be no such thing where they will build the foundation of their new age. _

_ “Our future.” _

 

* * *

 

Gah, that one was so cool! It happened so long ago, but Naruto loves it. He remembers how cool Himari was— said that the goddess called her to those waters, and Naruto got to see how the ground shook and broke underneath Himari’s feet when she had created an eye of a whirlpool big enough to stand in. A big, huge piece of land, with its own cliffs and everything, was created, from massive seals that are so, so different from the ones he’d scribble on napkins.

The Land of Whirlpools, she called it, and it was like the scene taken straight of a movie. Naruto briefly wonders if the rest of the countries were built the same way; from strength of a hundred people, unified as one.  Like,  _ literally _ built. Land and everything. Sasuke says that no, it was thanks to the Gods that the planet they’re on even exists, but it’s a warm thought.

Eagerly, Naruto shakes himself out of his jumpsuit, immediately putting on his pajamas with a slight jitter and picking up his frog plushie— do NOT tell anyone he sleeps with one—, throwing himself on the bed. _ Tomorrow,  _ he thinks, and whether he’s talking to himself of the residents in his head that he has no idea are real.  _ I’m going to be a genin of Konohagakure. Please, show me something nice! _

And it takes a while to fall asleep, because there’s still adrenaline coursing through his blood, excitement rattling him, but he drifts off eventually. He’s now a man with golden eyes and fiery hair.

 

* * *

 

_ “Do you… really think I can do it, Kaoru?” He says, and Naruto almost finds it jarring, how soft his voice is. Even more than when he’s lived a life as a woman. The man is looking down at his hands, holding his hitai-ate— the swirling symbol of Uzushiogakure is etched into the golden plate only the elite can don on their foreheads. The weight is familiar in his hand, and while he’ll never forget it, he knows he will no longer be wearing it. _

_ They’re on the roof of the Uzukage Tower, the breeze bringing goosebumps to his skin as his hair flows with it. From all the way up here, it feels like the sky is just a shy touch away, and he can see the entirety of his village below. He can see each and every home lit with lanterns, can hear loud music down by the beach, can see how the marketplace is bustling as ever. Even when the moonlight showers everything in its blue, cool light, the very heart of Uzushiogakure glows with warm radiance, like the sun has dropped from the sky into this piece of land. _

_ He can hear how Kaoru sucks her teeth next to him, and the man turns his head to look at her with a quirked brow. “Are you kidding me, Hamako? You’re having doubts on the night before your inauguration? What happened to you stomping all over the place and puffing out your chest this morning?” _

_ “Bah! Is it a crime to be nervous, Kaoru?” Naruto— Hamako— says in defense, nudging the girl with his elbow. “It’s not like I’m going to drive myself into the sea and never come back! I just— I’ve been dreaming about this for so, so long… and now that I’m actually going to be Uzukage…” _

_ Kaoru’s eyes soften, and she brings her knees to her chest. She was always so rough on him, so it’s kind of weird to see. But Hamako— Naruto—continues on anyway, looking up at the stars instead. _

_ “… The elders always told me it was my destiny to take the crown.” He says. “Said that people like me are born when the tides are changing.” _

_ “You were even born differently than everyone else so far.” Kaoru hums. “I mean, kaa-san literally pushed you out in the Himari Bank.” _

_ “I was also born dead, wasn’t I?” Hamako says, his own knees coming to his chest, but not in an effort of hiding. It seems to sober his sister up, though. “I guess that’s why my summons are different.” _

_ Yes, that’s right. The Uzumaki clan has always been a clan described by one word: prosperous. They have an abundance of chakra, of vitality, of knowledge, of love. _

_ Out of all the countries in the shinobi world, it’s the Uzumaki clan who reigns high, alongside the Uchiha and the Senju.  Uzushiogakure is the birthplace of fūinjutsu, and within the scriptures and sacred seals, the Uzumaki has yet another thing the others did not; they had access to the other world, where spiritual forces slept. _

_ And being born dead, Hamako is only that much closer to them. Instead of the long standing summon the Uzumaki have a contract with, he was pulled into another plane, only to come back with something that was neither a man nor an animal… a spiritual summon, from the depths. _

_ Even so, the Uzumaki clan didn’t shun him for this— in fact, they celebrated it, because he was truly chosen by the Goddess of the Maelstrom if he could merge the other world to this one. _

_ He just prayed there would never be a day where he’d have to use such a thing. _

_ “… You are a man like no other, Hama-kun.” Kaoru says, breaking the silence he hadn’t realized he let grow between them. “You have the goddess by your side. Spirits come to guide you. You’ve become a master of fūinjutsu, have unique ninjutsu techniques, and the most important? The people of Uzushiogakure adore you. Just as much as you adore them.” _

_ Hamako’s eyes drift from the sky to his sister. And he thinks that maybe, just maybe, they’re the same thing. Because just as stars litter the night sky and light up the world, his sister has stars of her own, lighting him up inside. Because she believes in him. _

_ Uzumaki Hamako died once. But he knows that he will never die again. _

_ So with a smile, he clutches at his hitai-ate. “That’s Uzukage-sama to you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- so one of my hcs is that the uzumaki are somehow connected to the spirit world / more inclined towards the dead. when they can summon literal DEATH GODS it only makes sense that they can do such a thing.
> 
> \- YES the uzumaki clan is part of the big three ( uchiha/senju/uzumaki) but w/ the above hc it just means they're even bigger. physically/mentally/spiritually they have the higher ground
> 
> \- also... major plot difference right off the bat: naruto and sasuke have been friends for a while <:)
> 
> thanks for reading! no set schedule yet so i could update anytime ksjndf watch out


	3. enter: sasuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boy who's got his blood on the village's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE im back at it again.... hope yall enjoy!!

The sunlight has yet to bleed into the sky by the time Sasuke is rubbing at his eyes, then blinking them open. The time on the clock next to his bedside reads three, definitely too early to go to the Academy, but he sleeps in fragments to escape the blood and screaming, and now’s a good time as any to get the day started.

Sasuke quietly throws his legs out of bed, a habit he’s had since childhood— somehow, his parents would always wake up the minute his feet touched the floor, so he’s learned to be silent—, and he stretches. Something pops in his back, sending a brief shock up his spine before he continues.

With a solid shake of his body, he rolls his shoulders, heading to the bathroom. Not even a whisper of the wind or the slight movement of the pond can disturb the stillness that is his house, or the entire Uchiha Compound for that matter. By the time he’s done with his business, there’s only the vague hint of sunrise, and he continues his morning regimen.

After he’s made sure he’s made himself as presentable as possible, he calmly makes his way to the shrine in his home. It’s in the family room, the floors still having the phantom scent of strong iron, and the shōji doors have not been replaced, faint blood stains still there.

It’s a small little thing, because Sasuke could only afford so much. It’s on a low table, the centerpiece a small tori, and while he had no photos of his parents and no one to ask for them, he put the very few things he could remember them by. In front of those items are a row of candles. Next to the tori on either side, there are bonsai trees and flowers. On the tori itself, there are ofuda.

( For the first year, he begged his parents to forgive him, and promised that he’d give them a better shrine once he’s older. )

With gentle and quiet movement, Sasuke draws in a breath, following the tradition of using the fire from his lips to light the candles. He sits on the back of his heels, clapping his hands together and closing his eyes. For a moment, he does his silent prayer before letting his hands fall to his lap.

“ Kaa-san, Tō-san….” Sasuke says, staring down at the items— pictures, at the very least there should be pictures, —. His mother’s pendant still shines, the light of the candle giving it a glow. His father’s bead bracelet is matte onyx, the thread frayed from all the incessant picking he did. “I’m finally a genin.”

“… So is my friend, Naruto,” Sasuke says, having to look down at his hands instead to resist the urge to turn and look over his shoulder. “We… um… had a celebration yesterday. And… well.”

A brief pause. “I didn’t want to get this far. I didn’t want to finish the academy, I didn’t want to keep trying. But Naruto… he’s annoyingly persistent. And I know you and nii-san would’ve wanted to see me become a shinobi of the Leaf.”

There’s a lull. He can feel himself going sour, his gut already twisting.

“… Please, watch over nii-san.” He says quietly. Because there’s nothing more to tell them, he blows out the candles, rising to his feet. He gives another bow, and heads out to the family shrine up on the hill, and prays for each and every single member on that memorial stone.

 

* * *

 

The class is filled with incessant chatter that he’d much rather live without. There’s so much did you hear about this, and last time I heard that, not enough sitting and reading that should be expected. The gawking and squealing of his classmates reacting to his presence is familiar but quite frankly unappreciated.

He slides into his seat, folds his hands over his mouth in an effort to conceal it. It seems like Iruka-sensei’s still waiting for the last of them to come in. Time to force himself not to look bored, then.

After about ten minutes, Naruto comes in, yelling per usual. It’s a relief. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s actually… curious about who’s he going to place with. For every year, the circumstances are different; when Itachi had graduated, his teams was created based on how certain skill sets would match up. What will it be this time?

For a brief moment, they meet eyes; a silent acknowledgement, a pass of unspoken dialogue— _hey good morning, nice hitai-ate, good to see you, hope I don’t get stuck with you,_ —, and the blonde plops on the seat in the same row, smiling happily and kicking his legs. For a moment, there is peace.

Until his biggest fangirls come stomping in from a race, and he wishes they put as much energy in training. He has to force himself not to look or sigh as they yell over each other, but he does catch Naruto getting tossed out of his seat, and there’s an argument with all the girls in the class on who’ll sit next to him. He doesn’t care.

But all Sasuke has to do is blink, and suddenly Naruto’s in his face. Certainly not the first time, but it’s enough to make him tense up a bit, furrowing his brows.

“What’s so good about you anyway?”

Sasuke wants to retort, like it's a reflex— _wouldn’t you like to know_ ,— but he can’t. So he settles on silence, challenging Naruto with his eyes.

Before feeling Naruto’s mouth smash against his, and in between the girls yelling and Naruto squeaking, Sasuke stops thinking.

This, too, doesn’t last long, and Sasuke feels like he’s in a movie from how fast the scene goes from Naruto’s wide eyes staring at him to Sakura punching Naruto to the utter outrage of Naruto being on the same team as him. The day feels like it’s moving by fast.

 

* * *

 

Forget what he said before. Kakashi must be a master of time ninjustu, too, because the day’s really stretching on and on and on and oh FUCK he’s underground now—

 

* * *

 

“Best and worst, huh,” Sasuke says, his leg swinging high in an effort to strike at Naruto’s rib, though the other boy dodges with a swiftness that only Sasuke witnesses. It’s a weird contrast to how he flunks in sessions at the Academy.

When the class would have taijutsu practice, Naruto would be at the bottom every time. He didn’t know where to put his arms nor did he mind his legs, and no matter who he went up against, he’d end up with a bloody nose from face planting the ground.

But when they’re alone, it’s a different story. It’s unclear what kind of style Naruto uses to fight, but Sasuke knows it must’ve come from _somewhere._ Naruto moves much like water… not so much like a languid river, but more like a bursting current. The punch to the shoulder Sasuke receives is a testament to how much power Naruto puts into his hits. While he’s not better than Sasuke ( he still has that edge on him ), it’s unfair for him to be deemed the worst of the class.

“Stop, stop, time out,” Sasuke breathes, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Naruto keeps bouncing on the balls of his feet— Sasuke will never understand how he has so much energy.

“Whaaat? Are you chickening out because I’m beating you, Sa-su-keee?” Naruto taunts, and Sasuke can’t help but roll his eyes. Great, he’s going to hear this everyday for the rest of his genin career. He doesn’t even give him the satisfaction of rubbing his shoulder, letting himself take a seat on the soft grass. He should stop wearing white shorts.

“Don’t kid yourself. It’s getting late. Let’s stop before we regret not resting after Kakashi’s hell fest he masks as ‘training’.” Sasuke says, the fireflies already coming out to light the night. In truth, he’s absolutely wiped out, and his ankles still ache from how hard his sensei had gripped them in an effort to bury him.

Naruto huffs, crossing his arms, but he takes a seat next to him anyway. Sasuke doesn’t really know what to think— they still haven’t mentioned the kiss, they probably never will—, so he focuses on the breeze. It’s nice against his sweaty skin.

“… I’m only the worst because I’m not like everyone else, ‘ttebayo.” He hears Naruto murmur next to him, and Sasuke can feel his chest tighten. He tries to find the right words. “Whenever I try to do things my way in a way I get, the teachers hound me for it! It’s unfair!”

“Yeah. You’re definitely a strange little boy.” Sasuke says, and that earns him a punch. He tries not to grin as he looks at his friend, bringing his knees up. “Where’d you learn how to fight like the way you do, anyway? Since it’s not Academy style.”

Naruto puffs out his cheeks, the marks on them stretching out. He kind of wants to run his fingers on them, see if they’re scars. “I dunno. I just… do stuff, y’know?”

He has such a way with words. Truly.

“It’s like,” Naruto continues, bringing up his hands and moving them around, as if it’ll help explain things. “It comes natural to me. I didn’t get it from a book or a movie. It just happens, and it feels right. Hamako and the shinobi of Uzushio fight the same way! But they use all this extra stuff, like scrolls and wind and water!”

Ah, Naruto’s dreams. They’re very… interesting to hear about. On days where Sasuke feels like doing nothing, he’d tell Naruto to tell him about his dreams ( though, the blonde would tell him about his dreams whether he asked or not, let’s be honest here ), and would lie on the ground and pretend he has a big enough imagination to smell sea spray. When Naruto speaks about a world that seems to only exist in his head, he has these… stars in his eyes, and Sasuke thinks _‘hey, this isn’t half bad.’_

But it does solve one question Sasuke had tucked away— like why Naruto’s attacks, while powerful, seemed so empty. If it’s true that this Hamako fights the same way Naruto does, then the only difference has to be that Naruto doesn’t use elemental ninjutsu. Sasuke can’t blame him; the majority of genin don’t, so they have to focus on ways to compensate.

The blood in his veins gifted him with the ability to breathe fire. That’s all he’s good for in the eyes of Konohagakure.

“I see.” Sasuke says simply. “The scrolls part is interesting. What do they do with them?”

“Oo! Oo! It’s super cool!” Naruto says with a bounce, and Sasuke has to stop himself from smiling. But it’s hard, because Naruto’s happiness is… infectious. “They, like, put weapons and stuff in them, and summon things! And they do it so fast, I can barely catch all of it!”

Okay, maybe Sasuke can see why he’s the worst in school.

“You moron, they’re using fūinjutsu.” Sasuke says, furrowing his brows. “We dedicated thirty minutes of that every day in the Academy for literally a year.”

“Yeah, well, are we forgetting that my ears are bad?!”

“I did re-runs of the lessons with you after school. No excuses. It’s not your ears, it’s your brain.”

“Bah! You’re lucky I pity you, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto yells, crossing his arms once again in exaggerated fashion. Sasuke rolls his eyes at his theatrics— the blonde’s already Sakura’s rival in love or whatever, does he have to rival her in this, too? “… Do you think Kakashi-sensei would teach me about fūinjutsu?”

“I guess.” Sasuke says. It makes sense— he’d imagine that jōnin should have a considerable amount of knowledge on it.

He takes a second to imagine Naruto practicing fūinjutsu. Yeah, he’s not going to have that kind of patience.

 

* * *

 

“Why do we get the crazy guy as a sensei…” Sakura whines as she drops next to Sasuke, her fingers moving through her hair. From the looks of it, it’s covered in dirt and slobber. She should cut it.

“All the jōnin are crazy.” Sasuke breathes, his limbs burning as he tries to stretch. As a test of stamina, he let his damn ninken chase them around the perimeter of the village, but Sasuke heard Gai was even worse when it comes to stamina training. “But what makes Kakashi extra crazy is the fact he likes to watch us suffer. A sadist.”

“Awful young to know about something like that, aren’t you?” Kakashi says from above them, and Sasuke hates that he shudders. At least Sakura does, too. “I can’t say I’m impressed with your scores, though.”

Kakashi, Sasuke learns quickly, is hard to impress.

It’s only until the dogs get tired of chasing Naruto that the exercise officially ends, and the blonde collapses near Sasuke’s feet with a wheeze. “Oh, fuck, that was great! Again!”

“No ‘again’. We’re moving on from that.” Kakashi says, and Sasuke watches as he flips from the tree to a nearby stump, winders how he could be so open in having a book about porn in his hands. Thankfully, he puts it away. “Now, a little birdy told me it was curious about fūinjutsu?”

“I am not a little birdy!” Naruto shouts, immediately scrambling to sit between Sakura and Sasuke, to which Sakura responds with a _‘Naruto!’_

“Ah, you’re right. You’re all pups.”  Kakashi says with a crinkle of his eye, crossing his legs. “Anyway… I’m afraid that I’m not the right person to ask. Sealing beyond just the necessities isn’t very known.”

Sasuke takes a quick glance at Naruto, who— if Kakashi really think of them as puppies, which is fucking weird—looks like a spitting image of a kicked puppy. He doesn’t let his gaze linger.

“However,” Kakashi continues. “There is someone in Konoha who knows a lot about it. And he’s a very close buddy of ours. Can you guess?”

_Iruka-sensei. It must be,_ Sasuke thinks. He remembers when they would have their fūinjutsu classes, painting out tags. He had never seen their teacher so passionate about a subject, like it meant the world to him. He still remembers how the man guided his hand to create better strokes, and Sasuke always wondered why.

Sasuke’s eyes meet Sakura’s at the same time, and she seems to get the same idea by the way her mouth goes into and ‘o’, and both their eyes fall on Naruto. Who, to no one’s surprise, is wracking his brain over it.

“Gah! You know I’m not good at these things!” Naruto whines, his body sagging. Now, there’s no doubt that Naruto has the strength of a shinobi, but…. The brains…. It’s always the brains. “Just tell me! Who is it, Kakashi-sensei?!”

“Maa, as a shinobi, do you expect people to hand you answers on a silver platter or what?” Kakashi says, crossing his own arms. “Talk. Ask your teammates. It seems like they’ve got the right idea.”

With pleading wide eyes, Naruto turns to face Sasuke first, and the proximity of their faces is far too close for his comfort after what happened a while ago. But then Naruto turns his head to Sakura, who only gives a heavy sigh.

“I knew he was good, but is Iruka-sensei really a master?” Sakura asks, and Naruto instantly perks up at the mention of his name. Sasuke’s not surprised; when it comes to him, Naruto’s all ears. “I never would’ve thought.”

“There’s a lot about him people don’t know. Because they don’t ask.” Kakashi says, slouching a bit. “He’s the best fūinjutsu teacher Konoha’s got. I’m sure that if you asked, he’d be glad to teach you a few things.”

“Alright! Let’s go find him, then!” Naruto hollers, bouncing right onto his feet. Sasuke takes in a breath before rising up to his own, Sakura scrambling behind. “Let’s go learn fūinjutsu!”

“Not so fast. Are you forgetting who your sensei is _now?”_ Kakashi says calmly, not moving from his spot. “On the topic of fūinjutsu, though… how about we have an explosion run?”

Suddenly Sasuke regrets waking up.

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Sasuke finds himself deep in the family library, and is convinced that the dust is building up on his lungs the farther into it he goes. But he can’t find the time to clean the place, nor can he find a reason to. He lazily moves feather duster in his hand to brush away at the spines of the books, reading the titles before moving on. This seems to go on forever. That is, until he makes his way to the scroll shelf instead, and finds what he’s looking for.

“‘Uchiha Fūinjutsu: the Fundamentals.’” Sasuke mutters. As far as he could remember, his family had been quite knowledgeable on sealing techniques in the past— after all, it came with being a large clan, with a powerful kekkei genkai, and a nation that could give less of a fuck about them as people, people who genuinely loved a village that **_did not trust them_ ** —

( _Deep breaths,_ Itachi said to him as Sasuke coughed up his school lunch near the bodies of his uncle and aunt. _Deep breaths, Sasuke._ )

He steels himself as much as he can as he unravels the scroll, sneezing when the particles flying off the parchment tickle his nose.

The label on the scroll rings true; it’s just the fundamentals. Doesn’t give much info about the clan itself, but there are seals that wouldn’t be found in the Konohagakure library. It could prove to be useful to learn some techniques, but he… can’t be bothered. But a certain blonde can be. So he rolls the scroll back up, tucking it into his pocket.

He briefly thinks if he should hand over an Uchiha relic to a boy who doesn’t even live in the compound. Then remembers that the only person to reinforce that rule is himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER major plot difference! lordt! anyways as always, feel free to comment and stuff!


	4. preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto learns some cool things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // QUIETLY SHOVES MORE HCs

“Milkshake, do you have a visual on Tangerine?” Kakashi’s voice crackles through the com device, and Sasuke has to roll his eyes from the safety of the treetops. Really, there’s no reason for codenames— but  Kakashi is a lot softer than one thinks he’d be, indulging the kids on the team ( yes, that excludes him, thanks ) with them. ‘Milkshake’ is currently in a bush down below, and Sasuke internally cringes when he hears the rustling of leaves.

“I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him, Scarecrow!” Sakura says with a small growl, looking up at Sasuke now, and either she seems to be getting better with her crush or Sasuke’s becoming more immune to whatever the fuck ‘heart eyes’ are.  At least Naruto isn’t like this. “Duckling, can you spot Tangerine anywhere?”

He’s going to kill Kakashi.

Trying to suppress a twitch in his brow, Sasuke looks over the area. It’s completely still, and there’s no orange anywhere. For all he knows, Naruto scampered off to another part of the forest. He wouldn’t put it past the idiot. But a bustling at a treetop quickly steals his attention, and a sudden blur of brown and red jumps out with a hiss.

“I got it!” Yells Tangerine—Naruto—, and he’s holding a scroll open. The boy literally leaps towards the cat, and before the feline can get out the way, he traps it into the parchment. Sakura darts out to catch Naruto just before he hits the ground, but it ultimately sends them both into a tree with a ‘BWAA!’, and Sasuke has to resist smiling at his stupid teammates as he jumps down from above. “Holy shit! I got it!”

“Almost.” Kakashi says, and it’s true… because half of Tora’s body is hanging out of the scroll, and when Naruto sticks his tongue out, he uses the opportunity to scratch the hell out of it. Sakura shakes her head with a furrow of her brows as Naruto screams.

“You moron, didn’t you check the seal beforehand? You probably got it wrong!”

“Sakura-chan, pleathe!”

“We’ve captured it,” Sasuke says, shoving his hands in his pockets and— yep, he has it. “Let’s go already. I think I can still hear the Madam crying from here.”

“Onwards, team.” Kakashi says, and Sakura is quick to bounce to her feet, scowling a bit at Naruto but smiling widely at Sasuke as she runs to join upfront with their sensei. Naruto, in the meanwhile, is in tears as he handles the top half of Tora’s body and rises to his feet, the ends of the scrolls drooping sadly. There’s no way he can comfort him, Sasuke thinks.

“Oi, dobe,” Sasuke says, Naruto blinks at him and oh wow. He takes in somewhat of a breath through his nose before taking his hand out of his pocket, shoving the little jar of aloe gel into the blonde’s instead. “Use that. It’ll help with healing your stupid tongue.”

The bloody smile he gets is almost worth it. Almost. Because it’s really, really gross, and he thinks of things he’d rather keep away.

 

* * *

 

From the moment Kakashi opens the door, Naruto quickly pushes himself in, nearly falling on his face as he does. After getting a chance to put on that ointment Sasuke gave him, it feels loads nicer, it’s practically closing up! A little voice tells him it’s not the ointment, but it ruins the magic. It ruins what Sasuke’s trying to do.

“We’re back!” Naruto shouts, satisfied when everyone turns their attention to him, but it quickly fades when Madam Shijimi cries literally buckets worth of tears, running over to him. He almost hits Sakura from how he backs up, but she’s quick to push him forward again. She’s always been so cruel. “Wh— wait, Lady—!”

“Oh, my dear Tora!” She exclaims, quickly taking the cat away from his arms, and he can see why Tora is always running away. But then again, the damn kitty’s getting more snuggling than Naruto’s ever getting in a lifetime.  _ Untrue _ , says a voice, but he ignores that, too. “I missed you so much!”

“Wait, lady! I’ve gotta unseal him first!” Naruto tries to say, but Kakashi only places a hand on his head, and it feels so weird. And despite expecting a ruffle, too, it doesn’t come.

“Iruka-sensei,” He says, and Naruto quickly looks up, seeing how Iruka’s jaw has literally dropped. Yowch. “Can you do the unsealing? It seems like our little Naruto here messed it up, so I’m not that sure if he’ll know how to reverse it.”

“Hey! You can’t just— grr! Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto growls out. He can feel himself getting red in the face when he hears Sakura snicker behind him, and he quickly swipes Kakashi’s off of his head, huffing and closing his arms. “At least it worked, Iruka-sensei! It’s better than I did last time! Also, Ji-chan, good to know you’re free here, ‘cause—“

“Naruto!” Iruka scolds him, and a hand smacks him square on the back, and Naruto instantly puckers his lips. It’s too quiet for him to hear, but Iruka must be apologizing to the old man, because then he’s waved off to help Tora out of the scroll. He’s definitely going to get an earful for this, Naruto feels it in his bones.

“Is there something I can help you with, Naruto?” Says the Sandaime. For just a second, he imagines himself sitting in the same seat, at the same age, and thinks _damn, I can’t wait that_ _long._ But he huffs again, stomps on the ground to make the case for his team, because no one else will.

And after quite the haggle, he bags them a mission with some drunk bridge builder he almost kills on sight, but hey! At least that beats a damn farming session!

 

* * *

 

His fingers are dyed black within just a mere few minutes, and he’s spilled ink on his clothes. The grass around him is fine, though, so that’s good.

“Naruto,” Iruka says, and while Naruto doesn’t shrink at the slight frustration in his voice ( god knows he’s been on the receiving end many, many times ), his brows do furrow slightly. Iruka takes the scroll he had been painting on, flipping it over and pointing at the seal. “Tell me, do you see anything wrong with this?”

“No,” Naruto grumbles, because the voice in his head is saying  _ there’s so much wrong with this, _ but how’s he supposed to know that? He just started learning these things! “Did I use the wrong kanji or something? It’s supposed to be an storing seal, right?”

“The kanji isn’t the only important element here, Naruto,” Iruka says with a frown. He taps the several lines of formula, and Naruto can see how his fingers get a bit dark from the ink still not totally catching to the paper. “This here. It’s not the same as the rest, and it’s sloppy. If you want to become a master, you’ll need how to learn how to do this quickly and neatly.”

“Bah! No problem! I’m just excited, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto chirps, though it’s only half true, because in reality while all of this is really really fun, it’s also really fucking hard. He almost passed out when he peeked at the scroll Sasuke had given him. To think something like drawing on paper could mean life or death or whatever is just… “Okay, okay. Let me try again.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Iruka says, taking ahold of Naruto’s hand that’s reaching for another scroll. Naruto can’t help but pout. “Look. I think I might have something that can help you. Mind giving me that brush of yours?”

Naruto squints for a second. What is Iruka up to? Is he going to draw a practice seal for him? He said he wouldn’t baby him. But if he really does have something to show… well. It can’t hurt. So he offers the brush, smiling when the man takes it with a ‘thank you’. Iruka then takes Naruto’s wrist with one hand, and dips the brush in ink in another.

“My sensei taught me this one, because believe it or not, I was a lot like you,” Iruka says with a gentle smile, and the ink feels cool against Naruto’s skin. He slowly moves to sit on his heels, blinking as intricate designs are drawn on. “Just give me five minutes. I don’t want to mess this up.”

For a moment, it’s silent, and all Naruto can hear are the cicadas fluttering around them. He thinks the only thing this place is lacking are fireflies— for some reason, they seem to only live in the Uchiha Compound. The sun is a burning orange, ready to say goodbye to earth, and it’s hard not to watch it go down. But he’s too busy watching Iruka for, even though he’s concentrating, looks… happy.

Something pulls on his heart strings the more of the design the man’s drawing comes to fruition, as if there’s a sense of pride. Why, he doesn’t know.

“… Hey, Iruka-sensei?” Naruto says, acknowledging Iruka’s ‘hm?’ as permission to continue. “Where’d you learn to do fūinjutsu?”

For a split second, Naruto can see that Iruka goes tense. Afraid he might’ve said something wrong or bad without meaning to, he opens his mouth again, but Iruka only continues to smile, and his hand keeps painting. Naruto doesn’t have nearly as much experience with people looking at him with anything other than disdain, so he can’t quite make up what kind of smile Iruka has on.

“Well, you see, I was actually the student of one of Konoha’s greatest fūinjutsu users.” Iruka says, and though there’s something like fondness in his voice, Naruto thinks he’s trying to pick out words carefully. Could it be because he’s feeling emotional? It’s hard to talk when your heart’s beating so fast, he knows. “I don’t think anyone’s ever done as much for the art here. Not even me.”

“Whoa….” Naruto says, blinking at his teacher. He tries hard no to fidget, because Iruka’s just halfway done. Just a little more, though, and they can move on. “Who are they? What’s their name? Are they still around in Konoha? Can I meet them?”

Naruto doesn’t look away from Iruka’s face, catches the flash of… hurt.

“They…” Iruka starts out, taking a small pause before turning away, dipping the paintbrush back into the ink. He hits brush against the mouth of the jar, getting rid of excess. “They died during the Kyuubi attack. But they went down a hero.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _ Naruto can feel his stomach twist into something funny, and he breathes in deeply, eyes falling to the brush making its mark on his skin again. Tries to focus on the coolness again, tries not to let himself think too hard because it’s not his fault,  _ he’s  _ not the Kyuubi,  _ it’s not his fault _ .

“Did we learn about them in school?” Naruto asks instead, and Iruka shakes his head as he carefully turns over Naruto’s hand for the final touches. “Whaaat? No way! If they’re a hero, they deserved to be talked about, ‘ttebayo! What’s their name?! Come on, tell me!”

“… It’s a secret.” Iruka says. Naruto knows that he knows he hates secrets, but that’s as much he gets on that, because his teacher not-so-subtly segways into something else. “Anyway, you’re going to the Land of Waves, right? I think this seal’s even going to survive the night, but I hope you’ve been paying attention. Now, try recreating the storage seal again. You’ll need a few scrolls so you can store everything in.”

He has a feeling that he knows who Iruka’s talking about, but  _ who _ or  _ how _ remain a mystery to him.

The new seal does wonders. Iruka calls it a ‘stabilizer’, and while Naruto doesn’t know the specifics, the general just of it is to concentrate chakra in his wrist, make it weighty so that his hand doesn’t shake as much. Whoever was his teacher must’ve been kind to their students if they made such a thing. He’s had enough of people getting impatient with him, which is why Iruka is so.. fresh. In just two more tries, he finally masters the seal, and Iruka ruffles his hair like any person would when they’re proud.

Iruka doesn’t treat him to ramen afterwards ( which sucks, by the way ), but he does get him new clothes. Says it’s to congratulate him on getting the basics of fūinjutsu ( sorta! ) and earning his first C-rank, but if you ask Naruto, it’s because he looks like a mess with all these black splotches. It’s weird, having to actually get new stuff— after all, most of his stuff are just Iruka’s hand-me-downs, because what orphaned Academy student could afford clothes?

Naruto kicks his legs on the bench he’s sitting on, because he’s not allowed inside the store. Not even with Iruka, who could probably take him out if he’s that much of a danger to the shopkeeper. But that’s not new either, is it? No, everyone in the shopping district looks at him all funny. Sometimes he has the urge to just snap his teeth at them, but he doesn’t, because that’ll just prove what they’re scared of.

 _Stop,_ a voice in his head says. So he does. Iruka gives the shopkeeper a bow as he exits the shop, with a big brown bag, and Naruto feels guilty for accepting his offer on clothes.

“Oi, Iruka-sensei, you didn’t buy the entire rack for me, did you?” Naruto says, jumping off of the bench, taking his juice box with him ( NO he’s not a child, they’re cheap enough! ) and taking a sip as he tries to peer into the back, but Iruka only tucks it closer to him. Boo. “Hey! Let me see!”

“Ah-ah. Not yet.” Iruka says with a smile, and Naruto jumps for the bag, but all the man does is raise it high in the air. What a son of a— “You’re going to put this on tomorrow, okay? When you go to the Land of Waves. You’ll get to see it then.”

It may seem like Naruto’s exaggerating a frown, but that’s not the case! “That’s not fair, ’ttebayo! What if I look really ugly or it doesn’t fit or something? Come on, Iruka-sensei! I’m going to scream if you don’t let me see—“

“I’ve already made up my mind.” Iruka says, sticking up his nose. Naruto tries to give the deepest sigh he can, but it doesn’t shake the man. In fact, he smiles. Smiles. “Tomorrow. No peeking.”

Lousy teachers and their lousy conditions.

 

* * *

 

_ “Kushina!” Naruto—or Kushina, apparently— hears his—her!— mother call out, but she doesn’t bother to turn around as she runs out of the compound, passing through the streets like a storm, and she doesn’t know what hurts more; the fact no one stops to ask why or the fact that the whole village knows already. Her fists clenched tightly as she runs up cobblestone steps, almost tripping. _

_ Tomorrow, she leaves for Konohagakure. _

_ The highest ground that the Land of Whirlpools has to offer is, by definition, called Marici cliff high up on the mountain, but Kushina knows better than to run there. Because, despite everything, she doesn’t want to die. Instead, her feet carry her deep into Uzushio’s forest, her heart aching when she acknowledges that this— thick trees, all this green, no sand no ocean no sea breeze— will be the rest of her life. It’s stupid, she thinks. She doesn’t want to be a vessel. She doesn’t want to house that— that thing. A bijū, she recalls her mother telling her. _

_ Kushina wishes she could say she doesn’t care. But deep down, she knows she kind of has to. When she approaches her special hideout, she can’t suppress a grimace when she sees the familiar bold lettering against a white coat, and she nearly makes a run for it before the man turns to her. _

_ “Ah, the spirits told me you’d be here.” He says, his voice calm against the sound of the waterfall rushing down below. And while yes, usually Kushina would be glad to see him, all she wants to do is stomp on his stupid hat instead. “Come here, Kushina. Take a seat.” _

_ “Pah! Like I’d want to sit next to you of all people, ‘ttebane!” Kushina huffs— dattebane?—, crossing her arms. “Of course, the Great Uzukage just expects things to go as smoothly as ever, huh? Well not this time! I refuse to be the jinchūriki! I refuse to leave this island!” _

_ The Sandaime frowns at that, but it’s rather childishly, if you ask Kushina. And she thinks good, he feels bad, but she’s not sure she feels very good about that either. She just can’t win today. _

_ Again, he pats the rock next to him, and this time… well, she’s tired of walking anyway. So she approaches with a sulk, lifting herself onto the stone. It’s rather quiet between the two of them, with the only sound coming from the waterfall, and if he thinks Kushina’s going to be the one to break the silence he’s dead wrong. She once gave her father the silent treatment for a month, she can do this forever. _

_ “… I’m not even going to try being diplomatic about this,” The Sandaime says— Hamako, Naruto naturally fills in. He looks like he’s barely aged. “I’m sorry, Kushina.” _

_ That gets her boiling, brows snapping as she looks at him. “Sorry? Sorry?! You all want to shove a monster into me!” _

_ "We don’t want to,” Hamako says, and his eyes are so sad and wow Kushina feels bad. But she shouldn’t! “Trust me. If I had any choice on the matter, I definitely wouldn’t be letting you—” _

_ “What do you mean, huh?!” Kushina shouts, trying to get her anger back. “You’re the f—“ _

_ “Language.” _

_ “—reaking Uzukage, Hamako-sama! Why are you letting them do this?” Kushina asks exasperatedly, and she doesn’t expect to hear her voice sound so… watery. After all that walking, she feels.. spent. Hamako’s expression is soft, but it has guilt written all over it, and Kushina knows he must genuinely feel pained, because his voice isn’t better off. _

_ “… Right now, there’s no other way.” Hamako says quietly. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it, and I don’t want to tell you lies. Konohagakure’s jinchūriki, Mito-sama, is… she’s not immortal, you know. Even though the Uzumaki seem to kick time in the butt. And as our sister nation, we must lend our hand, even if it means having to do… well…” _

_ Kushina frowns. She’s heard this all before. From Mito-sama herself, really, on one of the rare visits she had here in Uzushio. _

_ “But why Konoha?” Kushina asks, feeling herself deflate. “I— why can’t be here instead? Why can’t I be Uzushiogakure’s jinchūriki? This— it’s my home. And the jinchūriki are supposed to protect their homes, right? Please, Hamako-sama, I don’t want to go!“ _

_ When there’s no answer, she goes to grab his coat, shaking him, as if that’ll change anything. _

 

* * *

 

His eyes snap open, ridden with tears. And he debates on going back to sleep, the day’s bound to be long, but…

He busies himself with watching the clouds instead.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- so kishi forgot iruka's supposed to be talented at fūinjutsu, but who did he learn to do that from? well now u kno what i think
> 
> \- ik what ur thinking. his past self and his mother? really? but i promise both play a role !
> 
> \- the first of a few nightmares ( or bad memories, rly ) for naruto as we approach the departure... next chap we go into the waves arc! won't spend too long there since im sure yall know what goes down but jksndf. 
> 
> anyway! hope you enjoyed! see u next time!


	5. waves - pt. i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> team 7 head to the land of waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW OKAY! look ik the wave arc is probs tiring to see but like. it's Important!! anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

When Sakura arrives—Sasuke and Kakashi have been here since two hours prior, but she’s not late by any means—, her hair is up in a ponytail instead. While Sasuke thinks that it would be better if it had been cut altogether, he admits it’s a step up. Her hitai-ate’s also in the right place now, her bottoms are long and her dress is shorter, no more extra fabric to get caught on trees or be burned away from explosion tags. It’s practical.

“Oh, am I late?” She asks with a frown, and Sasuke shakes his head. He looks over to where their teacher is: sitting by a tree, reading his stupidly obscene book.

“We’re waiting on Naruto and Tazuna.” Sasuke says, turning back to Sakura. He gives her another once over look, debating on whether or not he should say anything, before he simply settles for, “You look good.”

Of course, it elicits a blush and a wide smile, but it’s a better reaction than absolutely squealing her head off.

A while later, Tazuna comes, and both Sasuke and Sakura sigh from relief that he’s not wasted this time around. The man, of course, has the audacity to raise a brow. And finally, after having the bear the awkwardness that Tazuna trying to talk to them.

“Sorry I’m late, guys!” Naruto says brightly, bursting onto the scene. Sasuke can already feel himself relaxing. Good, the chatterbox of the team has arrived, and he can take the socializing reigns. He turns his head to look at him, just to tease him and…

His getup, Sasuke thinks, is… a strange mix of both the new and the familiar. The blonde looks like a completely different, his jacket gone in exchange for a simple dark blue kimono with short sleeves that clash against shorts that are a classic orange. Around his waist looks like some sort of obi, but he’s got scrolls tied to it on either side.

Sasuke can feel himself staring. He looks away as soon as he does. Apparently, no one gave Sasuke the memo that Team 7’s changing their looks up.

“Well would you look at that,” Kakashi says, suddenly right next to him, and Sasuke tries not to let his surprise show. “I would’ve appreciated it if you two ran the changes by me first, you know.”

“Whatever!” Naruto says, and Sasuke picks his head up when he feels the blonde’s arm wraps around his. Why is his heart acting all funny? Must be the heat. “C’mon, Sasuke. Let’s lead the way, ‘ttebayo!”

“Please, like you know what roads we’re going to take, Naruto.” Sakura says, and Sasuke can feel how she takes the other arm, and he definitely isn’t used to it. “Right, Sasuke?”

“Don’t drag me into this.” Sasuke says simply, feeling his face getting hot. Again, it’s just the heat. He looks up at Kakashi, trying to get a silent plea in, and the man answers with a crinkle of his eye.

“Maa, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan. I know we all love Sasuke—“ Sputtering from the two parties, Sasuke kind of wants to laugh—  “But we have a client to take care of. Get into formation, and let’s get moving. If we make fast pace, we can probably get there by nightfall.”

Sasuke resists a sigh of relief as Naruto huffs and Sakura frowns, and they both pull away from him. But the breeze feels foreign on his skin again.

 

* * *

 

On the small, tiny boat, Tazuna speaks of the situation in the Land of Waves. How there is no one to control the trade except for an imperial capitalist by the name of Gato, how the man is unafraid to slaughter if it means keeping up power and raking up coin. He uses shinobi as they should be used-- as tools, so he wouldn’t get his hands dirty.

Sasuke catches Naruto looking up at seemingly nothing. When Sasuke nudges him with an elbow, asks why he’s looking dumber than usual, if he understood anything Tazuna’s saying, Naruto squints. With a voice that sounds like it should belong to someone beyond their years, Naruto says,

“The world’s fallen into chaos.”

 

* * *

 

Emotion is coming from different angles, different voices, both in and out of his head. Naruto’s heartbeat is relentless, and he tries his best to focus on the present.

Kakashi’s trapped, he has the Sharingan, there’s three of Zabuza, both he and his teams are scrambling for ideas as they give each other looks, and Tazuna is showing something other than total disinterest for once.

Even with the battle against the Demon Brothers on the mainland—  _ a warning from the Gods, _ one of the voices say, sounding more and more feminine—they all agreed they would see this mission through and through. Now, Naruto’s not one for second thoughts, as he thinks this’ll be a good experience, but…

_ They’ll need to fucking survive this first. _

“What do we do, Sasuke-kun?!” He barely hears Sakura say, and doesn’t even hear Sasuke’s response, unsure if he’s said anything. His fingers are itching, wanting to do something, but nothing is coming to mind, and it’s only a matter of time before Zabuza gets restless and attack his team, too.

_ Go, go, go, _ He tells himself, tells the people in his head, internally and desperately.  _ What I can do! _

And for the first time, the world that he’s only ever seen in his dreams bursts in colors, right behind his eyelids. A force that says  _ ‘I’ve got this _ ’ comes into him. Instead of waiting around, he lets himself get lost in it, body moving in tandem.

 

* * *

 

_ Kushina drops behind a tree, heaving as she does. Okay, so it takes her and her team twenty minutes to decipher what kind of ‘test’ their new teacher is putting them through, but she’s got a plan. _

_ Tsume is sitting next to her on her left, Mikoto on her right, both equally exhausted but the fire in their eyes still burns, and that’s what they need. For a brief moment, she leans over Mikoto to take a peek at their opponent ( and, now, soon to be sensei, ‘ttebane. ) _

_ Umino Kohari. As far as Kushina can recall, the Umino clan used to come from Uzushio as well, having moved to Konoha a long time ago. For a brief moment, Kushina makes sure to remember to ask Kohari-sensei about things. Right now, though, they’ve got a test to pass. _

_ “C’mon, Shina, Hurry up before she comes looking for us again!” Tsume urges, Kuromaru hanging in her thick jacket pocket. Mikoto, while not as verbally pressing, definitely is sharing the same sentiment. In any other case, Kushina would tease them. _

_ “You Konohagakure folk are really in for a surprise,” Kushina says with a smirk, finishing the last of the seal on the parchment. Granted, her fingers are now in pain, but it wouldn’t be Uzumaki fūinjutsu without some Uzumaki blood. “Okay, here’s your scroll, Mikoto. You all ready for some Uzushiogakure style?” _

_ “We have been for a while, yes,” Mikoto says, and while her voice is soft it’s definitely Fed Up. Kushina feels almost sorry for this next bit. _

_ “You all know the plan.” Kushina says, and can tell how Tsume restrains herself from yelling. “Tsume, when we go in, use a flash bomb. Keep your scrolls on hand, open them up and hit them when I say go, okay?” _

_ “Are ya sure this is gonna work?” Tsume asks, Kuromaru sharing the same look of apprehension. _

_ "Trust me,” Kushina says, feeling the tingle of Kohari’s chakra. And it’s enough, both her teammates nodding. _

_ Tsume goes to the right instead of the left, Mikoto the opposite way, and Kushina charging head on. Of course, Kohari doesn’t look very fazed, only quirking a brow. But that’ll change. _

_ A sudden flash occurs, and if it weren’t for all of them having a good grasp of each other’s chakra, she would be sure that she would’ve lost her teammates. But they’re still in formation, it’s time to seize the window of literally five seconds. _

_ “Now!” Kushina shouts, unraveling her own scroll. “Uzushio Fūinjutsu: Nature Burst!” _

_ She can’t see it, but she can feel it, hear it. The sudden roar of fire, the crack of earth, the gust of wind that surges out of her own scroll. She almost blows herself back. _

_ A three way attack, three different angles three different chakra natures. And they won’t cancel each other out, she knows; her wind only strengthens Mikoto’s fire, and the force of Tsume’s earth remains one hundred percent. _

_ The flash disappears, and her sensei is flying back, just narrowly dodging. But neither her nor her teammates stop their assault; they all know better than to underestimate a jōnin. _

_ “Gatsūga!” Tsume yells, and Kuromaru barks as they dig into the ground in a spinning hell. Of course, Kohari jumps off of the ground. _

_ “Going to pop out of the dirt, huh? Impressive for a genin, however,” Kohari says, and Kushina grins when she sees Mikoto appear above her like she just materialized out of thin air. She doesn’t even have a chance to look before Mikoto strikes down, making the jōnin double over. _

_ Tsume’s supposed to come out of the ground at this point, but that’s alright. Having the seal on her hand drawn, Kushina takes the brief stun to surge forward, Mikoto’s legs secured on Kohari’s shoulders. _

_ “Fūinjutsu: Sleep!” Kushina yells, hitting the woman right in the face. The seal goes from her hand right on Kohari’s nose bridge, glowing a bright orange. The jōnin falls to the ground, along with Mikoto with a ‘OOF!’ _

 

* * *

 

By the time Naruto returns to his senses, he’s got his hands covered in ink, his shorts are kind of ruined, and he can’t hear a single thing over his loud breathing. A pair of feet come in front of him, toes painted, and he himself ends up passing out.

 

* * *

 

_ There are only screams and cries as Hamako runs down the streets of his home, what once was bleached cobblestone and iridescent mosaic glass is all dyed in different reds, the scent of iron thick enough to suffocate. _

_ The ground shakes as another building falls to its knees, and Uzushio is in pain,  _ **_hurting,_ ** _ her wails coming in the form of a storm’s rain beating down hard, desperately trying to wash away the blood of her people. He just barely registers the Kirigakure shinobi coming for him, but with a fwip of his scroll and senbon fanning out, he rids himself from all of them. _

_ To think that things had come to this. Just yesterday, the land was safe, the seas were calm, the people were laughing and rejoicing and alive. Even if there were tensions between Uzushiogakure and the rest of the nations, there was still peace within the barrier. Gods above, he doesn’t even have a clue if people actually managed to flee, because while he loves the ocean the stretch from here to the mainland is vast, and if help couldn’t get here in time, who’s to say they will survive? _

 

* * *

 

Naruto’s eyes crack open, his heart feeling like it’s just sunk into the floor behind him. Compared to the dark, sunless Uzushio he had seen, the light over him is too bright, too much, and he finds himself looking away. His gaze immediately falls on that strange symbol-- the Uchiha’s fan. Sasuke’s back is turned to him, but he’s still close, and Naruto rubs at his own face before propping up on an elbow and peering over the other’s shoulder.

The boy is sleeping, but there’s a kunai in his hand, tucked close to him. It’s not something he likes to see, and definitely not something he wants in his head or anywhere else.

( The sudden thought of Hamako taking it through the shoulder comes to mind, and he pushes down the thought before it could do more damage. )

Why had he dreamt about something so horrible, he wonders. What are his dreams trying to tell him? The last one he had was so deliberate, parallel to his life; a girl leaving her home. And the one before that; a man moving up in shinobi society. They’re not trying to say that he’s going to…

A breeze rolls in from the wide and open window, making the hairs on his arms stand. A need to rise up to his feet. And he does, minding his own headache and looking around. His arms are in bandages, which is terrible, because he’s pretty sure that the seals Iruka drew on are gone now. Thankfully, the kimono the man had bought for him is safe, free of tears or ink spills.

The sense of familiarity is… overwhelming, to say the least, as he rubs at his arm and walks out to the balcony. Sea breeze. Water crashing against the shore. Sun bleached roofs and a certain kind of warmth that Konoha doesn’t have. The setting should be jarring, a contrast to his own home, but… he’s been living in such a place for years now, he thinks.

“Dobe.” He hears Sasuke say, and the stress he puts his glabella through is nothing new, either. “You should’ve woken me up.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not your alarm clock, ‘ttebayo.” Naruto huffs, turning around to see the other boy stretching where he’s lying down, and for a brief moment he’s not Sasuke anymore but instead…

_ Mikoto, _ a voice supplies in his head.  _ He’s so much like her. _

“I should’ve left you here alone to wake up alone and panic.” Sasuke says flatly, getting up from the floor and dusting himself off. The kunai goes back into his pouch as he wakes over to Naruto before punching him on the arm. “You idiot. You fucking passed out. Did you know how scared Sakura was?”

_ ‘You know how scared I was?’ _ goes unsaid, but Naruto has known Sasuke for so many years that it doesn’t have to be.

“Awwww, big bad boy Uchiha Sasuke’s worried about his rival,” Naruto coos, earning another punch, and yowch. Stick arms are not what they seem. “Stop that! Where are they, anyway?! They’ve better not started training without me!”

“The world doesn’t stop for you, dobe.” Sasuke says, hefting himself up onto the railing of the balcony. Naruto finds himself doing the same. Onyx eyes look hesitant, but the boy quickly looks away. “They’re off training.”

Naruto frowns. Sasuke… well. He doesn’t usually pass up on training. Says it distracts him from… things. On really bad days, he either trains nonstop or stays in bed all day. But Naruto remembers that Kakashi, too, has the Sharingan--  _ something no one outside of the clan should have, _ someone informs him.

“Sasuke?” Naruto says, and Sasuke turns toward him again. “Talk to me.”

Sasuke’s lips go taut. “There’s nothing to talk about.” Naruto simply stares at him, expectantly. And of course, Sasuke relents. Because Naruto knows he’s a powerful man with much influence.

( Or, maybe, he’s spending too much time thinking of himself as badass as Hamako. )

“... Kakashi never told me he had the Sharingan.” Sasuke says, very solemnly, and Naruto has to resist the urge to bring him into his arms. He looks so… detached. It’s not the same look he wears when he talks about the tragedy that is is family. It’s not the same look he wears when he talks about people and what they think of him. Naruto waits patiently for him to continue.

“Konohagakure isn’t any different from any other village,” Sasuke tells him simply. “If he didn’t tell me from the start, it’s because he’s loyal to the damn village. Did Konohagakure expect me to crumble at the revelation? Expect me to awaken my own Sharingan from the pain that the only other person with my clan’s dōjutsu doesn’t even share my blood?”

Naruto doesn’t know how to respond. Or, rather, he knows what he should say— he should be defending the village. He should be calling out Sasuke for these crazy ideas, asking where he’s getting them from. It’s like the Uchiha believes the village is out to make him suffer, but that can’t possibly be it, right?

( He remembers getting rocks thrown at him, shopkeepers closing the doors when he’s near, people turning their faces when they see him on the ground in tears. )

“… If you don’t like Konoha so much, why’d you become a shinobi, then?” Naruto asks. He doesn’t think he has a right to, since it’s a question he’s never asked himself either, but… Hamako loved Uzushio, loved justice and peace, and that’s why he became a shinobi for it. That’s why he became Uzukage.

Sasuke huffs out a laugh. Naruto doesn’t like it. “With my name alone, what makes you think I have a choice?”

Somehow, that cuts deep into his spine. He opens his mouth, tries to argue, but the bold statement… it only makes him think more about why he’s here, too. So he keeps quiet.

“Also,” Sasuke says. “Apparently Sakura has a nearly dead kekkei genkai, and someone needed to be here for the family. You should go downstairs and meet them.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up!” Naruto exclaims. Okay, so this is a good segway away from the near existential crisis he was about to go through, but what the fuck? A dead kekkei genkai? What can it possibly be? Is he the only one without some cool blood technique?! He reaches out, taking Sasuke by the shoulders. “How did you find this out? What happened? Give me the answers already, you bastard!”

“You were literally there and awake, moron.” Sasuke says with a furrow of his brows, swatting his hands away, and the small voice in his head says just like her. “But since you have short term memory, I’ll be generous.”

_ “Teme--” _

Sasuke brings a hand up. “Anyway. So, when we fought Zabuza, we followed your plan to use the scrolls to channel our chakra, and our nature affinity would come out. Nature Burst, that’s what you called the jutsu.”

Wow. He was more out of the fight than he thought.

Sasuke’s expression is unreadable as he continues. “So, we all did it together. A literal tree trunk hit Zabuza. That’s what Sakura’s scroll ejected. Apparently it’s called mokuton, and the Shodaime had used it. Rumor says that Tsunade-sama also possesses the same ability, and when we get back they’re going to do testing on Sakura.”

_ The Shodaime, _ Naruto thinks in awe. He always knew Sakura wasn’t like other people-- a wiser man, real or not, lives upstairs, and he knows more than Naruto himself. He looks down, only  _ just _ noticing how Sasuke’s own hands are covered. “What happened after? Did you get hurt?!”

Sasuke tuts at that, and Naruto knows he’s trying to act casual as the boy puts his hands into his pockets. “Your seals still need work, dobe. The jutsu backfired a bit.” Pause. “You… have two releases, but that wind of yours really fucked you over. That’s why your arms are bandaged, too.”

Naruto frowns. He should’ve known. Kushina… she did it so effortlessly, so perfectly, and Naruto could only amount it to her growing up in Uzushiogakure, the home of fūinjutsu. He’ll just have to try hard to be like her. To be like Hamako.

Sasuke’s smirk fades, and he looks down at his own lap. “… Then you put a sleep seal or something on Zabuza, but it didn’t work. But then there was this hunter-nin from Kiri that took him.”

Kirigakure’s ninja heaving their large blades up with drying blood on the metal flashes before his eyes.

“… I think I’m going crazy,” Naruto says with a furrow of his brows, and Sasuke looks quizzically at him. Now that he thinks about it, he’s never had the voices in his head be this active before, never have they’ve taken an initiative. And yeah, call it stupid or wishful thinking, but… they no longer feel as distant as before, back in Konoha. They don’t just feel like dreams. They feel like… memories.  Maybe that children’s book he read on reincarnation was making some points. “… That plan I used…. I didn’t make it myself.”

Sasuke gives him a knowing look. Naruto tells him everything, and only stops for a moment when Mikoto and fire come up, and when Sasuke asks him  _ ‘you saw my mother?’ _ stiffly, Naruto says  _ ‘yeah, you’re just like her.’ _

 

* * *

 

Out in the field, surrounded by nothing but hacked trees, scorched up grass and untouched flowers, Naruto and Sasuke meet a boy who’s collecting herbs. This same boy feels familiar, too, as he speaks of precious people and strength, and Naruto’s hand grips tighter around Sasuke’s wrist.

This same boy smiles at them, tells them they’ll meet again soon, and Naruto turns to Sasuke.

“Did you see his nails? They’re painted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notes as always:
> 
> \- uzushio’s chakra affinity test? it’s rly the nature burst technique. jōnin in uzu tend to work on elemental ninjutsu early on since students on the island usually have greater reserves + the people of uzu are connected more to nature in gen
> 
> \- i hc kushina as iruka’s mentor, so having iruka’s mother being kushina’s is even more bittersweet :’) also there’s no way iruka can have a last name like ‘umino’ and NOT be from uzu…. I’m also looking at u minato
> 
> \- also can I just say i’ve been thinking abut kushina’s team formation for so long…. tsume/mikoto/kushina aka disaster trio
> 
> \- i gave sakura mokuton, but we won’t be seeing much of it for a while! but it’ll be used later!
> 
> next chap…. some deep stuff happens. As always, thanks for reading!


	6. waves - pt. ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a bit longer, definitely harder to write for a lot of reasons, but i hope you all enjoy!

It took Naruto a year to come to the conclusion that he wanted to become Hokage. It took him another few years to graduate, it took him hours to become a genin. 

It takes just a second for Naruto’s entire world, in the form of a boy with a shitty attitude and stupid hair and dumb voice and a heart too big for such a small body, to take a hit that was meant for him.

“Why?!” Naruto yells out, his heart threatening to break through his damn rib cage when he sees Sasuke waver. “ _ Why?! _ Why me?! I didn’t ask your help!”

Sasuke is still turned to him, barely breathing. “I… don’t know. My body… moved… on its own… idiot.”

The image of Sasuke shielding him flashes, breaks, one moment Sasuke is an entire village burning red around him and Kaoru is about to take a sword to the skull, and the next he’s…  _ Naruto _ , on a bed, a large claw ready to come down on him.

The scream that rips out of Naruto shreds his throat, and he’s sure that he’s called out for Sasuke but he is not the only one to cry out. He throws himself forward, despite the aching and his body screaming, catching Sasuke in his arms because he does not want his rival, his best friend, his  _ world _ to shatter then and there.

Sasuke’s body is heavy in his hold, as if he’s already a corpse, but the boy is still breathing, he can do something, anything, he has to save him because he can’t afford to lose someone else—

“I…” Sasuke says in a breath, and it hurts,  _ god it hurts. _ “Naruto, listen… to me…”

Naruto has to hold his breath, has to hold Sasuke closer, because he’s afraid that if his grip is any looser the boy’s going to fly away.

“M-my brother… he… killed my clan,” Sasuke says, and the tears that have built up on his lashes are starting to fall. “B-but it’s— it’s not his… fault, Naruto, it’s not his fault….”

His grip tightens. Sasuke’s hand is coming up, barely finding purchase on the kimono, staining the fabric red and oh god, has this really happened before?

“The blood of my people…. They’re not on Itachi’s hands,” Sasuke says weakly, but his brows furrow, his eyes steeling even when he’s so, so fragile. “They’re— on Konohagakure’s…. the familicide… of the Uchiha clan… it’s on them. Whatever— ngh… you do… don’t… trust…. them.”

Naruto can feel his heart drop as Sasuke smiles at him, tenderly.

“B-but… Konohagakure had one… good thing,” He says, and his shaking hand reaches up further, to where the very tips of Sasuke’s fingers brush at his face, cold and yet burning. “It… had you.”

Sasuke’s final words fall short, because all Naruto can focus on is how the hand that touched his face so gently, in a bittersweet attempt to alleviate the pain, has now fallen limp. And for a moment, Naruto is feels numb as he brings a hand to Sasuke’s face, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

“To protect someone precious to him,” Haku says, and Naruto doesn’t look up at him, can’t look up at him. “He would plunge in, knowing it was a trap. He is truly a shinobi, worthy of respect.”

_ Was. Was. Was. _

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a friend die?” The other boy continues, and that’s what Naruto tries to remind himself, even when he can feel his consciousness getting torn in two, because  _ no it’s not, _ but  _ yes it is, _ “This is the way of the shinobi.”

Something begins to boil deep in his gut, hot and nasty. Anger, sadness, absolute anguish is searing underneath his skin, desperate for a way out. To hell with Haku. To hell with the shinobi way. To hell with Konohagakure. To hell with this world. This is no fucking way to live, no fucking way to die, a fury spanning through generations, through _ lives, _ is knocking all sense he has up the damn walls. The voice in his head are the loudest they’ve ever been, the ground breaking around him, he can’t think straight but he doesn’t care.

“I’m going to **_kill you!”_ **

Blazing spirals of crimson red chakra whip around him, and he doesn’t give a single shit about it coming from the fox because he needs to shatter the cage around him, but something’s keeping him from going ballistic. His hands are moving, flying into seals both completely foreign to him and yet so familiar.

_ “Fūton: Hell Cyclone!”  _ Naruto yells out, and the spirals fan out. The scorching wind tears through his arms, but the pain is nothing compared to what he feels in his chest, the tears in his eyes almost blinding him as the glass blows out around him, Haku flying out of the mirror and tumbling on the ground. There’s a pull on him, but he doesn’t care, rushes towards the other. A shinobi from Kirigakure, one of the nations that destroyed a place he once called  _ home, _ the person who took Naruto’s entire world and broke it in two—

Haku has the nerve to stand, but he’s still, and Naruto finds his fist stopping short from where it’s supposed to land when the mask the boy wears breaks completely.

_ That’s what he is, _ Naruto— Kushina, Hamako, whoever— thinks. He’s just a boy. The same boy who talked about precious people and true strength.

“Is that No-Brow the only person precious to you?” Naruto asks, and it’s not nearly as angry as he wants it to be, finding his anger to be more and more misdirected. Haku smiles emptily at him, and tells him everything.

The gears in Naruto’s head are turning, cobwebs of time getting dusted away as Hamako and Kushina’s own memories supply what Naruto’s can’t fill in. He couldn’t see it before, too much of a kid and years of false love for Konoha has blinded him, but he sees it now; the nation adored exploiting the kekkai genkai of others, that it’s okay to have one and live as long as you use it for your country. But the Land of Water feared it, exterminating living human beings like they were plagued rats just because of something they could not help.

And the worst part? Naruto doesn’t think either of them is better than the other. Both are cruel, both are vicious, both see humans as pawns to be used and discarded as they see fit, and he has a feeling of dread rising within him knowing they are not the only nations to do this. That this has been going on in silence, for decades, under the guise of  **_‘that’s just how it is.’_ **

Naruto stares at Haku, stares at the void in his eyes. This is a boy, no older than he is, who has witnessed death and corruption and is a product of whatever fucked up realm he’s living in.  _ He  _ didn’t kill Sasuke. The shinobi system did.

And a few moments later, just when he spares him— a boy, just a boy— it kills Haku too.

 

* * *

 

When he finds out Sasuke is alive, being held up by Sakura, Naruto launches himself towards them and sends them all tumbling down.

 

* * *

 

By the time they come back from Haku and Zabuza’s graves, the moon has already risen, silencing the day’s chaos with its radiance alone. Sakura had made Sasuke a pair of crutches ( more like long and wiry branches, but the sentiment is there ) that are neatly tucked in the corner of the room, the team all rooming together one last time.

Naruto is sandwiched between Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke is dead— no,  _ not _ dead.  _ Very.  _ Sasuke is  _ very _ much asleep, and though he’ll be in no better shape by tomorrow, they’ll still have to depart. But Naruto finds relief in the other’s snoring, knowing he’ll at least have some rest.

But Sakura is awake, playing with her hair, and Naruto turns on his side to face her instead, trying to mind his volume. “Hey, Sakura-chan?”

“Yeah?” She whispers, and it’s hard to hear her this way, but it’ll do. “Is there something wrong? Don’t tell me you have to pee, you can do that on your own,”

“I was not going to tell you that, ‘ttebayo!” He says in defense. A quick brain check and— yeah, he doesn’t feel like peeing. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. Why’d you become a shinobi?”

Sakura’s widen at that, blinking owlishly before she turns her head to look at the ceiling. “Huh. Well, um. I’m not sure if I’m honest? I…”

Her expression looks gloomy, and she stops messing with a lock in favor of twiddling her thumbs instead. “… For a career, becoming a ninja has always been the first choice. Did you notice that? It’s like, yeah, there’s a bunch of other jobs around the village, but being a ninja is the only one that’s actively encouraged, y’know?”

That makes sense. Naruto’s never thought about it before, though. “You’re smart.”

“Someone on this team has to be, yeah.”

“Are you calling Sasuke dumb? I’m telling!”

“Yeah, right. I’m going to break your thumbs if you do.”

Naruto snickers, despite the half hearted threat. This side of Sakura, he finds, is rare when their other teammates are awake. It’s like she forces herself to be all nonaggressive and cute, and he knows why, because he’s done the same.

He debates, really, on whether or not he should say something else. She’s already seen the horrors of the shinobi lifestyle, has memorized the rule book through and through, but knows that despite everything she still chooses to be one. It doesn’t sit right with him, especially since she has mokuton, makes her a target.

But Sakura did not grow up the way he did, an orphan with a demon crawling in his stomach. Did not end up the way Sasuke did, a family falling like lambs to the slaughter because the village wanted it so. To Sakura, Konohagakure has friends. Konohagakure as mama and papa, has home, has done no wrong to her and will only continue to put her on a pedestal for her kekkai genkai and it makes him  _ sick. _

She’s connected to Konohagakure in ways Naruto and Sasuke could never hope to be.

“Nice eye makeup, by the way.” Sakura teases, and Naruto juts his lower lip out as he pulls out a kunai. His lashes, sure enough are prominent, and there’s a red orange around his eyes.

_ That dumb fox, _ a voice says.  

 

* * *

 

They finally get back to the village, and Sasuke is taken from Naruto’s back by Kakashi. His back isn’t as broken as he thought it would be, but Sasuke also has the weight of a fucking feather.

“I’ll be getting him to the hospital to check him out.” Kakashi says, and Sasuke only grumbles, half asleep the whole damn trip. “Sakura, you should come for a check up, too. And Naruto…”

Naruto waves a hand. He knows the deal. He doesn’t think he’s ever even stepped foot in a hospital before; too afraid of the many zeros that’s bound to be on the bill. His injuries aren’t serious enough to warrant that. “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure that asshole gets his daily tomato. Or else.”

Kakashi chuckles, and Naruto realizes it’s the first time in two days since he’s done so. The man truly is the perfect soldier, showing no emotion till it’s safe. “I’ll see what I can do. Come, Sakura.”

Sakura’s brows knit in worry, turning briefly to look at Naruto— still so kind hearted. He waves her off too, though she still lingers.

“I’ll get you some herbs, okay?” She says, only smiling when Naruto sticks his tongue out. And then she’s on her way, leaving Naruto by himself. He rubs at his wrists, avoiding the stares of bystanders as he walks to nowhere.

There’s some things he plans to do, but maybe not now. Meeting with Iruka is one of them, but that’ll have to wait till school is over. Shopping for groceries is another, but he’s too tired. So that leaves… the library.

Naruto takes in a deep breath, changing his course as he makes his way to the big building, just a bit a ways away from the Hokage tower. It’s the first time he’ll ever be in such a place.

When he steps foot in the library, he almost expects to get thrown out, but it doesn’t happen. Naruto sighs in relief before he dashes down the aisles, takes him a while to figure out the sorting system— he’s not very good with reading, but it’s not expected of him anyway—before finding the section that…

… Should have information on Uzushiogakure. Something. Anything. A book, a scroll. But there’s… nothing. Naruto furrows his brows, searching the entire section at least four times.

_ Did they… _  Naruto— Hamako, Kushina, it gets confusing— questions. At the end of the aisle, there’s a map, and Naruto runs over to it. His eyes are immediately drawn to a certain spot where a spiral is supposed to be but there’s… nothing, to his shock.

_ They erased Uzushio. _

 

* * *

 

_ A surprise attack, he realized quickly, and he rushes to cut down another one from the enemy. But Uzushio’s barrier was not easy to get through, for it was created from the soul of the Goddess herself, and the waters around it would protect them. No, the only way for the enemy to infiltrate was if someone has opened the barrier for them. _

_ His hair has since fallen out of its bun, the locks heavy on his head, spilling everywhere as he runs towards the heart of the land. He doesn’t even get anywhere near it when he feels himself freeze, eyeing the one redhead with her hair falling out of her fishtail, wavering. A large, broad sword infused with chakra is held high, ready to strike her down. _

**_Kaoru,_ ** _ Hamako thinks, his heart coming into his throat. There’s no time for screaming, his feet move on their own, and gods please have mercy on him as he takes his sister’s wrist, pulling her out of the way. The sacrifice is him getting cut through the shoulder, but it’s fine, it’s fine because she’s not going to die, not like this. _

_ Hamako quickly takes his sister into his arms, the girl beyond consciousness, and he glares up at the shinobi who stand before him, sporting a Kumogakure hitai-ate. Two nations, he thinks, both supposedly so high and mighty and worthy of to be one of the big Five. To think that they would attack when Uzushiogakure’s sister nation is in the of her own battle… _

_ A flash of lightning cuts through the air, the smell of ozone fresh, and his hand flies into a seal before the scene changes. On Marici cliff, he can see the damage, see how much they’ve torn his village apart. _

_ Fire. It’s bittersweet, really. To Uzushiogakure’s wind and sea, there is Konohagakure’s fire and grass. The same fire, meant to protect her, is now eating away on what little of the buildings she has left. The streets are covered in shades of red, from the strands of his dearest cousin Tomie’s Uzumaki hair to the blood spilling from his restaurant keeper Ulano’s mouth. Even the sea, so blue and bright, is tainted in just red, bodies floating by. _

_ There’s no moment for tears, not even a moment to breathe before he read chakra signatures from the ones, the tens, a hundred. They’re all different, from prestigious blood to the average shinobi, some familiar and some absolutely ghastly. _

_ “Cooperate now, and you won’t end up like the rest of your village.” _

_ Hamako has to chuckle at that. “Cooperate? When you’ve destroyed my home? Wiped out my people? I believe you’re asking too much of me.” _

_ He puts down his sister’s unconscious body as best as he could, minding her head. He rises slowly onto his feet, ignoring the way blood spills out of him the way juice would out of a pouch. He turns to face his enemies— Kiri, Kumo, Iwa, Konoha, even, and the man who dons the hitai-ate is… _

_ He’s not sure if the blood loss is what’s making him laugh out loud at the irony. _

_ When he gains his breath, he has a smile on his lips surely bloody because there’s so much iron in his mouth it’s like he’s been eating coins. But it fades as his enemy’s grip onto their weapons. _

_ “Ryuusei,” Hamako calls out to his kin, the rain dampening his voice. This must be some fucked up twist of fate, how the one to open the barrier is not only a shinobi of Konoha, but to share his blood, to be an Uzumaki… it’s cruel. “Why?” _

_ “Hamako, please, none of this was meant to happen,” Ryuusei pleads, but the way he grips at the sword in his hand proves that it’s only an act. “I— I went to go get help, just as you asked, I had to open the barrier for Konohagakure—“ _

_ “Oh, shut up,” Hamako growls, and hilariously enough the crowd takes a step back. There’s a burn at the back of his neck. He remembers Ryuusei at the meetings, remembers his faces of disapproval of Hamako’s plans and words. Remembers Hamako saying there could be more, that the power Uzushiogakure has is more than any other nation. When Kushina had left, she wanted to at least take her best uncle with her, and so Ryuusei followed. “Tell me, is Iwagakure in on this, too? Is that why Konoha can’t be reached? Because they’re keeping them busy?” _

_ Power. In this world, power is everything, and Uzushiogakure has much of it. But he didn’t want it to be like the other nations, with children as vessels of destruction or clans that spurred wars amongst themselves. He didn’t want to use his clan’s abilities to govern with fear, didn’t want his people to have a hive like mentality that Uzushiogakure is better than the rest. _

_ Hamako isn’t stupid. Even with those intentions, even with his willingness to help his neighbors and provide what he could, they were either feared or envied. That’s why it’s not just one nation attacking them, but several, because they know Hamako is stronger than a thousand men. _

_ But that, still, is not enough. _

_ “You think you can get ahold of Uzushio’s power? Of the Uzumaki Clan’s secrets?” Hamako asks, genuinely, and Yuusei furrows his brows. His act is faltering. “Come out and say it, with your chests.” _

_ “Hamako—“ Yuusei says, and makes him ill, makes him clench his fists. _

_ “Do not  _ **_dare_ ** _ address me like we’re family, Yuusei,” He growls out, lightning crackling behind him. The land knows. With a flick of his wrist, a white blade made of the crystals of Uzushio, shining brilliantly in a myriad of colors through the darkness. _

_ Yuusei’s eyes go wide. “Attack!” He commands, and though a shinobi shouldn’t feel a thing, should focus on his mission, he can’t ignore the sharp pain in his heart to know that this person— an Uzumaki— had let things spiral to this. _

_ “You absolute idiot,” He hears someone wheeze, and he freezes. There’s a grab at his leg, and suddenly he’s no longer on Marici cliff, but instead is dropped at the center of the village, back smacking against the wet ground. Kaoru coughs up blood next to him, and he can feel his heart drop. _

_ “Kaoru!” Hamako says, taking her and helping her sit. He can hear distant yelling, no doubt the enemy will be coming for them. _

_ “To think,” Kaoru breathes, a smile on her face and he thinks why, why is she spending her energy? “You were going to do something as stupid as pull that jutsu in front of Yuusei. He’s an  _ **_Uzumaki,_ ** _ he could’ve stopped you.” _

_ “Kaoru, no, save your breath—“ A hand smacks over his mouth. It’s dirty, smears blood on his skin. In any other case, the blood would be healing him. But it seems that Kaoru has other plans for her chakra. _

_ Pillars of lightning, water, _ **_fire_ ** _ surge towards them, and Kaoru lets out a yell, the Uzumaki Clan’s very first hiden comes to fruition. The chains aren’t nearly as golden as they should be, not nearly as tangible, but they surround her and Hamako, and the clash between the elements and the barrier makes the ground shake. The thought cuts through his mind with chilling clarity. _

_ She’s going to die. _

_ “Hama-kun,” She pants, and it hurts,  _ **_it hurts so much._ ** _ “We are not going… to have a chance of surviving this. You know that, don’t you?” _

_ He does. Because really, the spirits tell him everything, of things that with happen, are happening, what has already happened. He just didn’t want to believe it. _

_ “We will not die by their hands,” Kaoru says with conviction, not even flinching when people launch their weapons against the barrier. He violet eyes look up to meet his, and though her skin is pale the stars in his chest burn bright. “We will not let them take Uzushiogakure, Hamako. Do what you must, I’ll hold them off.” _

_ His vision is blurring with tears. In the past, when they’re younger and naïve and didn’t know what the word ‘war’ was, ‘I’ll hold them off’ meant having to keep their parents from bursting through the doors after a prank gone wrong. But they’re grown, they’re shinobi, and they, as Uzumaki, have a duty to fulfill. _

_ So Hamako takes in a deep breath, makes his wish in his head as he slices his hand. There’s enough Uzumaki blood seeping into the stone already, enough fragments of chakra to add to his own as he then slams his hand on the ground. _

_**Everyone,** he speaks in his mind, where he knows the phantoms will hear him, and the storm around him dies in an instant. **Rise with us.** _

_ “Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Goddess of the Maelstrom!” He yells out, and blinding chains of sigils split through the ground. From the cracks, light shines, and the souls of the fallen from both then and now rush out, seizing the crowd of shinobi. Large, giant hands break free from under the cobblestone, and he knows that this the end. _

_ Even with the screams and the cries for mercy, Hamako can only feel relief as he falls onto his knees next to his sister, and they both lean to each other. From here, he can see Marici Cliff fall to pieces. Can see the Uzukage tower crumble. Large waves eat up the earth around them, and the Goddess roars in the form of a cyclone. _

_ To pull the Goddess awake from her slumber, he knows, means to destroy the land. But Uzushiogakure was never something material— Uzushiogakure is bonds, is spirit. And just how his great ancestor Uzumaki Himari had found her, he’s sure someday someone will do the same. _

**_This isn’t goodbye,_ ** _ he thinks as he closes his eyes, the effects of chakra having been sucked out of him and the blood loss are taking its toll. He speaks to his people, Kaoru, Uzushiogakure.  _ **_We will meet again._ **

 

* * *

 

Naruto nearly drops onto the ground, nearly tips over the bookshelf from trying to stop himself from doing so.

_ Uzushiogakure is Konoha’s biggest failure _ , Naruto thinks, and it’s no wonder they don’t have anything on it. Of course. Not only did Konoha not aid Uzushiogakure when she— she?— needed it most, but there had been… shinobi of Konoha there for its destruction, there to see it fall and reap the benefits after its protectors would die.

Even if Uzushio was a sister nation, Konoha would rather pride on its wins rather than admit its losses. Just like the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the annihilation of an entire nation remains buried.

He feels sick, feels like vomiting, but he swallows everything down quickly as he clenches his fists, roughly wiping away the tears as he runs out of the library. He doesn’t know where to go, who to turn to, the village’s insignia here there everywhere and he can’t fucking escape it.

Naruto picks up the pace, not even saying sorry to a poor girl carrying tea he just knocked his shoulder into, rushing to his home instead and slamming the door shut. He can’t even hear the sound of his own breathing, falling onto the floor.

So much, he has so much in his brain. What is he to do?

Naruto quickly down at himself, his attire reminding him that of the civilians of Uzushiogakure— it was popular! Everyone had a kimono, all of them unique and vibrant, just like the people who would wear them.

And maybe that’s why Iruka gave him one. After all, the Umino are from Uzushiogakure. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to pass a piece of him down to Naruto in the form of seals and a simple, blue kimono. But right now, he can’t bear to wear it, taking it off before folding it semi neatly.

“He’s going to get in trouble if I ask about Uzu.” Naruto mumbles to no one. Maybe only to the small plants that sit on his windowsill, soaking up the sun. He can feel them, though very faintly; chakra signatures around his place. He’s being watched. “What do I do?”

There’s so much Konoha has done to Hamako. To Kushina. To  _ him.  _ Should he even call it home?

_ Yes, _ says one side of him.  _ No,  _ says another. He brings the kimono closer to him, not even bothering to move to his bed as he lies on the ground.

He has a dream— has a set of memories come forward, a life from beginning to end. A village on the verge of destruction, a man who puts the nation before himself-- the  _ Hokage _ , and a mother who holds the village that has caused her much pain as an afterthought, only wanting to save her son; Naruto.

All that, and yet Konohagakure still turns a blind eye to the child of two of its greatest heroes.

 

* * *

 

_ Naruto is sitting on the divide where grass meets the sand, Kushina on one side and Hamako on another. He’s a complete oddball, with his spunky blonde locks versus their long, flowing fiery hair. _

_ The sky above them is sparkling, though there’s no sun. The wind passes by, and he hears no whispers, but it’s comforting as he crosses his legs. _

_ “To think it took all that for you to realize,” Hamako says with a smile, his golden eyes falling on Naruto. He wishes he inherited those, somehow. Maybe he’d look cooler. “That I’m you.” _

_ Naruto scowls a bit at that. Hamako scowls back. “Like I’d want to be you, ‘ttebayo.” _

_ Kushina laughs next to him, throws an arm around him, and he knows this is a dream but god, “Don’t go thinking that just because you were my Uzukage in the past that you’re better than me, Naruto. In this lifetime, you’re my son." _

_ Naruto tries to fight down the heat in his face. Dammit, he wants to have red hair, not a red face. “Kaasan!” She pulls away, laughing heartily as she puts her hand on her tummy. _

_ “Sorry, sorry!” She says, and Naruto can hear Hamako chuckle beside him. And for a moment, everything is quiet again. But a question still burns in the back of his head. _

_ “So, um.” Naruto starts out, messing with his fingers. The two Uzumakis tilt their heads at him— man, they really are related, aren’t they? “I know why Hamako-jiji showed me his story, but… why you, Kaasan?” _

_ Kushina’s mouth opens, and she blinks before her expression turns thoughtful, and it makes Naruto feel mushy inside. _

_ “… Hamako-sama is you of the past, that is true,” Kushina says softly. “But his life and circumstances… they’re dramatically different. Believe it or not, I wanted to show you my life as someone who lived as you live— with a demon.” _

_ “I wanted to show you that, even as a jinchūriki, Konoha could be a home to you, too. As it was for me. That the pain, no matter how grand, could still be endured.” _

_ “But I didn’t know the details of how Uzushio fell, only what Konoha would tell me.” She admits, and her eyes look glossy. The wound, Naruto realizes, is still fresh for her. “I didn’t know about the Uchiha. And I… I didn’t know the village hurt you the way it did, and I’m so, so sorry.” _

_ Naruto thinks on that. Remembers how his mother found her first love in a boy with sunny hair, her second in a team, her third in an Uchiha. He clutches at the fabric over his stomach, where he knows the seal his parents put on him is. He then rises to his feet, turns to the two Uzumaki still seated on the ground. _

_ “The choice is yours, Naruto.” Hamako says softly, genuinely. “What will you do now?” _

_ Naruto’s eyes flicker between the two. _

_ One is an Uzukage, a leader of an entire nation, who was the best of the best in his time. A destiny is laid out for him there: return to Uzushiogakure. _

_ One is a jinchūriki, a national hero, his mother. Someone who found a home in a society through bonds and wanted to bring change by becoming Hokage. Another destiny: continuing with his previous dream. _

_ Both are people who has been erased from history. Both have had their homes destroyed. Both have been hurt by the system. Both have been hurt by Konohagakure. _

_ “… I know it’s supposed to be otherwise, but Hamako-jiji, but…” Naruto starts out, blue meeting gold. “I— I don’t know if I could ever restore Uzushiogakure. I don’t know if I could ever be like  _ **_you._ ** _ But…” _

_ His eyes drift, meeting his mother’s, and there’s a special kind in his heart and he frowns. “Kaasan… I’m sorry. I know you and Tōsan gave your lives for me to live but… I can’t stay here. Konoha… not only did it hurt me, but it hurt  _ **_you._ ** _ It hurt Sasuke and Mikoto, and who knows what else they’ve done.” _

_ Naruto then looks down. He can see the patch of grass he has been sitting on is still flat, and his eyes trail so that they look down the center. _

_ “My name’s not Hamako or Kushina. I’m  _ **_Naruto,_ ** _ and I’m going to change the world.” Naruto says, and from the corner of his eye he can see his mother’s gleaming eyes look up at him, a smile on her face. “And I’m going to do it my way, ‘ttebayo.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- kushina can be played in one of the naruto video games and i tried to look for inspo on her justus but there are None so i made my own. ’fūton: hell cyclone’ is a kushina-exclusive move that she uses while channeling nine tails chakra, so it’s pretty destructive
> 
> \- naruto’s eye pigmentation, for visual aid, is like his sage mode, but less thick and more sharp
> 
> \- uzushio’s destruction is. Crazy. and i find it really weird that next to no one knows why there’s spirals everywhere and has never heard of uzushio in konoha. which made me suspect Things.
> 
> \- if you were expecting a fix where naruto is 10x wiser after realizing he was the uzukage… well… djnakj
> 
> \- this won’t be the last time we’ll see hamako or kushina! 
> 
> next chap, a change of scenery


	7. departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sasuke makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s 1 am and i was planning to post this later but i got too excited so here’s another chapter……. i love these boys.

Sasuke jolts awake, eyes bleary but wide as he sits up from his bed. There’s rustling from outside, grunting, and despite his legs not quite working right at the moment he swings them off the bed, stumbling slightly as he takes ahold of a kunai. He almost slips on his pajama pants, which is uncool. Quickly, he avoids the balcony as he moves to the wall closest to it instead.

“SASUuuUUKE, HELP ME—“ Sasuke almost stabs himself from how he jumps out of his skin. Of course, who else would dare enter the sacred graveyard that is the Uchiha Compound and have no respect for its only resident? And this late at night, too. Sasuke puts the kunai down on the large dresser before he pushes the door to the balcony open.

He doesn’t expect go see the guy just barely having his fingertips on the railing, his legs wrapped around the tree branch. Even more bizarre, the blonde… well… isn’t so blonde. There’s streaks of red in his hair, small but definitely noticeable.

“You idiot, what’re you doing?” Sasuke says with a furrow of his brows. Seriously, he’s going to kill himself someday. He walks over to Naruto, helps him over the railing instead. “There’s a neat thing called a front door. You should try using it some time. What’s up with your hair anyway?”

“No time! This is a fast track right into your room!” Naruto says, looking at him and wow, eye makeup. But his eyes are also… red. As if he had been crying. “And what about it? Is it messed up or something?”

Sasuke tries to find words. Why has he been crying? “... You look like omurice.”

Naruto, obviously, is confused, and Sasuke has to roll his eyes before he takes him by the wrist, clenching his jaw when he begins to limp. When they’re inside his room, Sasuke pushes Naruto towards the covered mirror at the far side of the room, and drops face down onto the bed.

“Oh my god,” Naruto says, “I do look like omurice!”

After that, omurice is actually made. Sasuke never fixes up late night snacks— never eats besides the three times in the day you’re supposed to, but everytime Naruto would stay over they always end up eating something, even at three in the morning.

It’s not until Sasuke’s halfway through his own that he starts a conversation, finding it easier to do with Naruto than anyone else. “So, why’d you come from a tree? If you wanted a beeline to my room, it must mean something urgent, yeah?”

A piece of omurice stops short of Naruto’s wide mouth, flecks of food all over it, and Sasuke has to resist the urge to lean over and wipe them away. His rival ( best friend, whole world, the one who gave him his Sharingan but doesn’t know it ) looks uneasy as he sets the chopsticks down on the plate with a light click.

“Sasuke,” He says, and it’s almost scary to hear him sound so serious. “Back in the Land of Waves, before you.. um.. passed out… you said Konohagakure was at fault for the massacre.”

Sasuke’s heart stops. Then it beats. Then it doesn’t. Like a stuttering machine.

The memory is there, vivid; he thought he was dying, thought he would be free of the repercussions of both telling as much of the truth about Itachi and the massacre as he could and confessing that the Best Damn Thing this village has is _ Naruto. _

He thought the last time he would see Naruto, it would be his bloody, teary face.

“I believe you.”

“... What,” Sasuke says, though it wasn’t meant to be outloud. Naruto is about to set his plate down on the bed, but he instead sets it on the dresser behind it.

“I’ll give you the rundown, since we need context here, ‘ttebayo.” Naruto says, and Sasuke keeps quiet, discord slowly building up in his head. “You know my Uzushiogakure dreams?”

Sasuke nods. He’s listened to every single one.

Naruto continues, and Sasuke has to pour every last ounce of effort to concentrate, because Naruto has never been the best at explaining things, but that’s okay. He tells Sasuke about how dreams are memories, that Hamako isn’t just a figment of his imagination but an actual person, how he saw his mother’s whole life of suffering and ostracism and yet she still died for the very village that hurt her. Tells Sasuke about what Konohagakure’s done— or, in the case of an entire fucking nation, what they didn’t do.

Sasuke snaps his chopsticks in two.

“Sasuke,” Naruto says, reaching for him, and his fingers are rough but gentle as they pry the pieces out of his hand, replacing them with his own. Naruto’s hand is warm. “Talk to me.”

It only takes five deep breaths and a long stare into the other’s eyes to enforce his trust.

 

* * *

 

_ The moon is high, mocking, as its light casts down onto the heaps of bodies that litter the streets. His shirt is covered in his own vomit, and it’s just him and Itachi. Itachi is in tears, face contorting in pain as he brings a hand over his eye, and Sasuke screams out to him, unaware of the tomoe that spin in his eyes. _

_ “ _ **_Why?!_ ** _ Itachi, why did you kill them all?!” _

_ With just a brief flicker of red, Itachi locks eyes with him once again, pulls him into another world. A blank space, with just him and Itachi.  _ **_Just him and Itachi._ **

_ “The walls have ears. This is the only way I can tell you.” Itachi says, hurriedly, as if he doesn’t time, and Sasuke can’t ask why because suddenly he has no idea how to speak. “You must listen. Our clan, the ones in power, were planning a coup d’état against the village. Our cousin Shisui and I were unable to change their minds. I am following orders by the Konohagakure Council— directly from Shimura Danzō.” _

**_I don’t understand what you’re saying, what do you mean!_ ** _ Sasuke screams, yells, but no sound comes out. Itachi is clenching his fists, trudging on. _

_ “The conditions of this mission are as follows: kill everyone in the clan, but spare you. It will be labeled as the Uchiha Clan Massacre to the public. I am to be labeled a murderer. I will leave the village, and serve it in the shadows.” _

_ Sasuke can feel the tears spill over, and his brother— damn his brother,  _ **_damn it all_ ** _ —takes grand strides forward, wraps his arms around him, and Sasuke gasps inaudibly. _

_ “Otouto,” Itachi says, holding onto him tight, and Sasuke swears he’s crying. “You will understand when you’re older. You must not tell anyone what I’ve told you. And no matter how much you may want to, you must not plead for my innocence. If Konohagakure found out that you knew about the truth, they will not allow you to live. All this— it may seem cruel, you may hate me for it, but I promise you that this is for your future. Konohagakure’s future.” _

_ Itachi pulls away, and Sasuke can’t stop screaming and crying, hands trying to grab onto Itachi’s shirt— no bloodstains, there are no bloodstains—, but it’s all for naught. His brother holds his face in his hands, the tears rolling down his cheeks before he puts their foreheads together. _

_ “Farewell, my dearest brother. I will love you always.” _

 

* * *

 

Sasuke has a death grip on both of Naruto’s hands.

“Itachi… he’s no hero.” Sasuke says, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes and  _ god _ he thought he was too old for this. “There is nothing noble or honorable about it. He slaughtered his entire family because it was the only choice he thought he had.”

There is so much Sasuke had wanted to do. He wanted to tell someone, he wanted answers, he wants Konohagakure to face their sins by his own hand and pay for making his brother do such a thing and taking away his entire family.

But that would go against Itachi’s wishes. Against the wishes of his parents. Because even though the two parties were split on radically different ends of the balance beam, they had a common ground; they both loved Konohagakure.

Sasuke, after learning about how his clan had been oppressed, untrusted and only accepted because of their power and Itachi’s frightening devotion to the nation because of the system enforcing that they can only do good, can’t understand either side.

“This village— no, this  _ world… _ it’s no place to live.” Sasuke says, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He’s alive and serving because it’s what his family would’ve wanted.

“So let’s change it,” Naruto says, and Sasuke has to pick up his head at that, because that’s such a typical Naruto thing to say. Sasuke can feel his heartbeat picking up in his chest.

_ “How?” _ Sasuke asks, not even caring about the distress in his voice. He’s been wanting change for so long, but he can only do some much, just a damn kid who’s got as much choice as an animal in a cage.

“We ditch this village. Leave it far behind us.” Naruto says confidently, like he’s thought of this shit before, but he probably has and that’s why he’s here. Leaving the village, as an average shinobi, would mean just a trouble. But…

“... You leaving the village…” Sasuke says, his grip loosening on Naruto’s hands, and he could almost laugh at the relieved expression that lasts for two seconds. “It’s bound to be a nationwide incident. You’re Konohagakure’s jinchūriki, its… ultimate weapon.”

Naruto hums, a smile on his face, and Sasuke can feel a fire igniting in his chest. This doofus, with big blue eyes and wild hair— he looks like  _ hope  _ incarnate.

“I know. And you’re the last Uchiha. They’re going to go absolute batshit. But that just means we’re already making our move.” Naruto says, and fucking christ Sasuke can’t believe this. It’s a stroke of genius, and he’d kiss Naruto if he could— “The first step to revolution. Are you in?”

The doors are wide open. For change, for reparations, for a chance to find Itachi, for a chance for  _ peace. _ It doesn’t even take a second to answer.

“When do we leave?”

 

* * *

 

They’re leaving tomorrow. Even if Naruto doesn’t want to, because Sasuke’s not ‘in tip top mint condition’, but now that the prospect of actually being able to do something about the village and the world at large, he can’t wait.

“You should go home, Naruto. Pack up, get some rest.” Sasuke says, sounding weird because of the yawn he tries to stifle. “Unless it’s Sakura or Kakashi, don’t interact with anyone.”

Naruto turns his nose up, and instead of getting out of his bed, he buries himself in the sheets and pillows, a childish act of defiance. “Teme, you’re not the boss of me! I’m the Uzukage!”

“You were the Uzukage.” Sasuke finds himself teasing, flicking the back of Naruto’s head. That earns a light punch to the thigh. “Right now, though? You’re a knucklehead.”

“And you’re an asshole, ‘ttebayo! A guy wants to have a sleepover with his rival, and you do this? I’m hurt!” Naruto exclaims, but doesn’t get up, only making his point by curling in further. “... Pleaseletmestay,”

Sasuke thinks. Or, at least, pretends to, because he already knows what he’s going to say. Naruto is  trying to anchor himself to the bed with puppy dog eyes, and while that should be ‘cute’ or ‘childish’, Sasuke knows where it’s coming from.

Naruto has few fears. Rejection and neglect are his tormentors.

“... At least take off your shoes, dobe.” He says finally, falling back onto his bed and turning his back to his friend. There’s a squeal, two thuds, and the covers being thrown over him.

It’s been a long time since someone else slept in his home, and tonight, he’s thankful. Even if it’s going to be the last.

 

* * *

 

That morning, Sasuke shows Naruto his family’s shrine; the one in his house. After their initial prayers, Naruto smiles wildly, leaning forward.

“Mikoto-san, Fugaku-san,” Naruto says, with a fondness that seems aged. “I’ll make sure to take good care of your son, ‘ttebayo. Also, my mum says hi. She’s looking forward to meeting you guys!”

_ Uzumaki Kushina, _ Sasuke remembers his mother telling him.  _ She was my best friend, and first love. _

He wishes he could’ve met her. Someday, he will.

 

* * *

 

To prevent suspicion, they do what they do every day. Luckily for him, Kakashi decided to take it easy; _ ‘Your Sharingan is imperfect’ _ , he had told him. _ ‘We’ll work on it as soon as both eyes have two tomoe.’ _ Unlucky for him, it meant he had to do a lot of meditation, which is pretty fucking boring, but Kakashi praised him.

It hurt. But it helps. Maybe they’ll save him, too.

By the time the sun is going down, Sasuke walks as fast as he can with his healing legs. A normal person would probably take in the view of their village before departing, ingrain each and every detail. But Sasuke has been within these walls for years, has since gotten sick of the place around him. There’s no heartfelt sentimental value; Konohagakure is Konohagakure. The only feeling Sasuke harbors in terms of this fucking prison is anger.

Just as the wind passes through and carries all kinds of things with it, Sasuke feels his aggression fading as he walks out into the outskirts, sees the Compound just a few feet away. It doesn’t look the same as before— hasn’t for a really long time.

The memories, though the edges are tainted red, are still there. The walls have been freshly painted, the smell of his aunt Uruchi’s freshly baked goods at the entrance. As he walks in further, he could hear the distant playing of a guitar— it was always Kenta. He wanted to be a musician when he grew up. Sasuke still owns the flute he had given him.

He’s wandered the entire place around for so long he could walk without sight, and he closes his eyes. Imagines the children running around, playing tag. Mothers huddling at the local tea hangout. Members of the Konoha Military Police Force would walk by, discussing matters, but they would never forget to wave at him. But it was only ever Uchiha, wherever he would go. No one from the outside.

This place used to be so  _ alive. _ Even if the village did not trust them despite how much they loved it, even if Konohagakure still put them in this glorified hamster cage, the Uchiha still had each other. He opens his eyes

And gods above, he can keep lying to everyone else, but never to himself. Even after so many years, it still  _ haunts _ him. The vast emptiness, the houses beginning to fall in on themselves, the ghosts that are sure to be roaming. Everyone is gone, he doesn’t know if Itachi’s even alive,  _ everyone is gone _ and Konohagakure knows they’re the reason why.

And yet, their only form of compensation was a sorry for his loss and a paycheck that just barely covered his needs.

Sasuke slides the front door of a home that isn’t his. “I just need to borrow some clothes. I hope you don’t mind.”

_ A coup d’tétat, _ he thinks as he weaves his way through the large home.  _ A quick and decisive extra-legal seizure of governmental power by a relatively small but highly organized group of political or military leaders. _

He didn’t know about it. No one ever told him anything. He used to think it was because he was a kid, then thought it was because he was just second to Itachi, then thought it was because his family just wanted to spare him. But by definition, he wouldn’t have been able to know anyway; he only just started the Academy.

By definition, the entire clan didn’t know. Sasuke grits his teeth, can feel his resolve solidifying.  _ By definition, the entire clan didn’t know. _

Taking what he needs, his footsteps are heavier as he makes haste towards his home. Time is of the essence. He gives the usual greeting at the door.

Quickly, he ascends to his room, doesn’t even turn the light on. From under the bed, he pulls out the rucksack, gathers as many things as he needs. It occurs to him that he didn’t even tell Naruto what to pack, but the blonde— well, mostly blonde anyway—couldn’t be that clueless. He was the Uzukage, right?

… But he tasted his own snot once. In front of Sasuke. Hm. He’ll pack for both their interests, then.

After making sure everything’s secure, Sasuke makes a mental checklist. Did he shower this morning? Yes. Did he eat at least an hour ago? Yes. Did he pack essentials? Yes. Is he dressed in black to blend in? Yes. He’s done his part, only hopes Naruto will keep up. He slings on the rucksack—  _ heavy,  _ he thinks, but  _ efficient. _

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke can see the photo of his team— Sakura’s bright smile, he and Naruto sneering at each other, and Kakashi holding them all close. He smiles to himself, and he opens up the frame and takes the photo, tucks it into his pocket.

As he makes his way down the stairs, he finds himself being a hypocrite. He knows he’s going too slow, that he should hurry up and meet Naruto already, but…

At the shrine of the family room, there are the only two things that Sasuke has left of his parents. With a quiet apology, he takes up his mother’s pendant, wears it around his neck and tucks it into his shirt. He takes up his father’s bracelet, wearing it on his right wrist, pulling the sleeve over it.

At least he’ll be taking them with him.

 

* * *

 

It’s at rare times like these that he’s thankful to have been a shinobi. Even rarer, he’s thankful to be his age.

From beside him, Naruto is sweating literal buckets, but he doesn’t even dare to breathe— with is, in Sasuke’s opinion, quite dumb; he’s going to gasp for air like a fish—. This part of the village is dangerous; for them, at least. Second to the Hokage Tower, the Academy has the most shinobi activity, as the teachers are all at least chūnin. Even a retired ninja could serve as trouble.

Sasuke lets his eyes bleed to red, ignoring how Naruto’s go wide like plates. He knows he’s going to ask later, and he’s going to be so fucking embarrassed. Right now, though, that’s not important. His Sharingan may not be perfect, but it’s enough to let him read that the chakra signatures around him are not ones of your average shinobi.

_ Strange _ , he thinks. No one is following them. Then again, with all its glory, Konohagakure’s security is pretty shit. From where Sasuke is, he can see there’s only two guards at the gate, but on just their chakra he can’t tell if they’re higher than chūnin or not.

“We have to get out of here without them seeing us,” Sasuke says. Naruto looks stressed, but determined, eyes searching before he nudges Sasuke and cocks his head towards a direction.

A cargo wagon, Sasuke sees. One that looks like it’s going out, the owner dusting out a tarp. It’s an easy ticket; as long as they aren’t dealing with sensors.

So Sasuke nods, and Naruto smiles all goofy-like at him— that’s all he’s going to see from now on, and somehow he’s not bothered—, the two boys making a dash for it. To their luck, Konohagakure loves its trees; on either side of the paved pathway, greenery is in abundance, and with their dark clothes the odds are in their favor.

_ It’s like a movie, _ Sasuke thinks with a mental grimace, because now he sounds like Naruto. They throw themselves over the side the wagon the man isn’t watching, as quick but quiet as possible. Not even situating themselves comfortably. The big scroll Naruto wears is complicating things, but they’ll make do. The boy is wheezing under him, and Sasuke has to slap a hand over his mouth.

Moments later, the tarp comes over them, and Sasuke can barely stand the tension as the wagon begins to move.

“Oof, this is a lot heavier than I thought,” Says the man, but nothing more. Eventually, it comes to a stop, there’s talking, and then they’re moving again. And he doesn’t know how far they get, but the wagon stops eventually, and Sasuke lets his Sharingan do the work for him.

“Gogogogogo,” Naruto hisses, and Sasuke huffs as he lifts the tarp, and they jump out the way they jumped in. Naruto doesn’t even wait for a chance to talk, only grabs Sasuke’s arm and bolts, and had Sasuke been any other person he definitely would be eating the dirt right now. They run and they run and they  _ run _ till they reach a clearing, and Sasuke nearly drops to the ground, his legs aching but  _ gods _ the adrenaline in his veins is worth it.

“We did it,” Naruto breathes, showing teeth in his smile. “We got out!”

“We got out,” Sasuke pants, and goddammit, he can’t help the smile that comes with saying that.  _ They got out. _ They managed to evade all problems, managed to get the best outcome, managed to execute a plan that barely needed any speaking because they’re just  _ that  _ good together.

Yeah, they have a chance now. Together.

“… There are so many more people in that village that need help,” Naruto says. The complete 180 should be jarring, but Sasuke has knows Naruto for years. Knows there’s more to him and his mind. “If Konohagakure could do this to us, who’s to say they’re not doing it to other people? At the very least, I know we’re not the only ones who are orphans.”

“You’re right,” Sasuke says, and his eyes meet Naruto’s. Meet the future. “This won’t be the last time we see Konohagakure. We’ll come back for them. After all, how else are we supposed to overthrow its government?”

Naruto’s eyes go wide again, and Sasuke has no idea if it’s a trick of the moon or not, but he swears that the boy’s eyes are glistening. Slowly, his face shifts into a fiery expression, smile wide as he gives a firm nod.

“Yeah,” Naruto says, with such agency that it makes Sasuke’s heart skip a beat. The boy looks off in the direction where they came from, and he can see how somehow, in some other lifetime, he had been a leader. “Just you wait, Konoha, we’re going to blow your asses away, ‘ttebayo!”

Sasuke smiles once again— he’s smiling a lot, he should stop—, and the summer’s breeze wisps around them, rustling the trees. “We should get moving,” He says, feeling the bracelet shift underneath his sleeve as he slides his thumbs under the straps of his rucksack, gripping onto them. “We should at least step out of the border before anything.”

“Right,” Naruto says, and so they do. For once, Sasuke doesn’t feel the weight of chains on his body, feels as free as the birds that soar the skies.

 

* * *

 

They take off their hitai-ates. Naruto etches a sloppy scratch through Sasuke’s with his fucking nail of all things, and Sasuke makes a clean one through Naruto’s, and tuck them into their bags.

To Konohagakure, they’re going to be scum. Traitors. Missing-nin. But in truth, they’re only thinking of themselves as people, not as pawns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- THEY LEFT… FINALLY
> 
> \- the itachi/sasuke convo was Hard to write bc i really couldn’t imagine how it would go down outside of a weird genjutsu 
> 
> \- isn’t it crazy how in canon sasuke left the village… like… just like that…. and all the way in the beginning naruto managed to steal a scroll that was supposedly heavily guarded… what the hell is konoha’s security fkjnsf
> 
> next chap.. we’ll see what konoha has to say


	8. konoha council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> konoha lost its greatest assets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another one.... im so inspired for this fic.... maybe i should wait on uploading tho bc i got the error msg SO many times that i think ao3 is tellin me smth.. it's on the shorter side but i hope you enjoy!

Kakashi doesn’t sleep. Not really, as much as he needs it. The longest he’s ever slept in his life, by his own volition, is five hours. The recommended hours for the average civilian are nine, but a shinobi can’t have that kind of luxury, especially one of his caliber. So when he feels a presence beside his bedroom window, Kakashi is already going down the list of who they could be, pulling a kunai out from underneath his pillow.

There’s whispers of panic, and Kakashi’s list stops short as a familiar shadow spills onto the ground.

“Iruka?” Kakashi says, trying to hide the slight panic in his voice and even with the darkness of his room he can see the flush on Iruka’s face, the puffiness of his eyes. It’s unusual, seeing someone else on his window sill and not the other way around, and even more so when someone like the Chūnin insists on using the door like a normal person. “What is it? What happened?”

“Sasuke, Naruto, they’re gone,” Iruka breathes out, and Kakashi’s heart jumps up into his throat because no, that has to be wrong,  _why would they._  “We have to find them before Hokage-sama—”

“Calm down, Iruka.” Kakashi says, fighting against himself on that one as he gets out of bed as casually as possible. If Naruto and Sasuke had left, there’s no doubt that ANBU has already caught on. “We have to go to the Hokage. I have a feeling we’re about to get a word on it.”

“But—“ Iruka says, and it’s so broken, and Kakashi can understand. Both he and Iruka hold a tie to Naruto that no one else has; both students of the boy’s parents, both his teachers, but unlike Kakashi who has been holding Naruto out by the collar in an effort to not hurt himself over the loss of Kushina and Minato, Iruka embraced him. Iruka was the first person in his life— the only adult in his life, for many years.

( “He’s like a son to me,” Iruka had once said, teary eyed. “I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost him.” )

“Come on.” Kakashi says, and the most he can provide is an awkward hand on Iruka’s shoulder. He’s never been… good, with these things. But it seems like it’s enough. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

 

* * *

 

“Thank you, everyone, for coming on such short notice.” The Sandaime says. The council hall is only one of many, and is just like he remembers it— big, noble, and anxiety inducing. The table’s finish is nothing short of shiny, and he takes his seat at the very end it, right next to Iruka.  

He has a feeling this isn’t going to go down too well.

“We’ve got a full house here, huh.” He hears Shikaku mutter from his left. And it’s true; the entire council sits on the other side of the table, with the only people who aren’t present being the Daimyo and corporation, but he supposes that Konoha’s aiming to keep this in the village for as long at possible. “What a drag.”

“To avoid wasting more time, I will get straight to it.” The Sandaime continues, folding his hands. ”Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, are no longer in the village.”

The Sandaime sighs, and his advisor, Danzō, furrows his brows. Kakashi never really liked him; there was always something ominous about him. No one dares to speak a word. Soldiers do not speak unless asked to.

“With all due respect, Hokage-sama, but what the hell did you just say?” Asuma says.

Okay, well, he’s different. Kind of his birthright, really.

“For years, we’ve had ANBU look over those two.” The Sandaime continues, and Kakashi tries not react. “It seems as though Naruto had taken extra steps; kage bunshin in both their homes, one with a transformation jutsu to look like Sasuke.”

 _What a terror. He’s smarter than he lets on,_ Kakashi thinks despite himself. With that technique, Naruto can create a perfectly identical, tangible copy of himself, and he’s never seen clones be as individualistic as that kid’s. But he fell short with Sasuke— they simply don’t have the same reserves.

But this just says something more; they weren’t kidnapped, as much as Kakashi foolishly hopped the case would be. No, if they went to the extent of implementing clones, then it means that they left on their  _own._

“As you all know, this means trouble for our village.” Danzō says, his voice strong. “The loss of the jinchūriki will prove disastrous to our strength. If news of this spreads, it can invoke a war. Not only that, but with no means of restraint, we may have another Kyūbi threat on our hands.”

Kakashi’s hands clench in his lap, and he can feel his face harden. Beside him, he can feel Iruka’s own chakra flaring up.

“Forgive me for asking, my lords,” He hears Shibi say down the line, not leaning forward to look. Only keeps his sturdy posture. “But for what reason would they leave the village?”

“It matters not.” Homura says. “Whatever their reasons, they aren’t good enough. One is our greatest asset, another holds too much information. However, the jinchūriki is our top priority.”

“And that’s what matters?” Iruka says, with such seething anger that it commands all heads in the room to turn, and dammit— “Not that Naruto is another person who is a part of this village, but that he’s a  _jinchūriki?”_

“Watch yourself, chūnin.” Koharu speaks, with a dangerous narrow of her eyes. “There is a reason you’re in this room. Wait your turn.”

Kakashi’s heart stills. Of course there is. In a room full of elites, Iruka is the only lower rank— but his connections to Naruto are indisputable. He was his mother’s student, he had been teaching him fūinjutsu, was the only one Naruto trusted because he was the only one that ever reached out to Naruto. They have all reason to think he’s a suspect.

But it doesn’t cool Kakashi’s boiling blood, doesn’t calm the building rage.

“Let’s not get hasty now.” Danzō says calmly, and it’s all the more to have Kakashi on edge. “The Uchiha may very well have played a big role. After all, the Curse of Hatred is genetic.”

“With all due respect, Danzō-sama,” Kakashi finds himself saying, and honest to god it’s a slip of the tongue, but now that all eyes are on him he has to push through. He crosses his arms. “But Sasuke is only 12. And I know my students enough to say that he would never coax Naruto into doing anything. He doesn’t believe in manipulation, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“He’s an Uchiha.” Danzō says factly, and his eyes are cold as they meet Kakashi’s. He doesn’t shrink under the gaze, but it’s hard to deny its power. “He can do it without even realizing. It’s in his blood.”

“My lords,” Shikaku says, and it’s so easy to draw in attention. The guy is almost never formal. “Let’s say don’t catch them. What’s to happen then?”

“We’ll have to make it an international affair. Alert our allies to be on the lookout. The Fire Daimyo and his council will have to hear about this.” Koharu replies. “And we do  _not_  want to get to that point. It could mean a bad reputation for us as a village, after the embarrassment that was the Kyūbi attack.”

“Embarrassment?” Kakashi hears Kurenai say down the line.

“Enough.” The Sandaime says. “The more we talk, the farther away they can be. We must formulate a plan and act now.” He hesitates, eyes drifting along everyone in the room. “… Those who names I do not call may leave.”

 

* * *

 

 **Mission name:** _Jinchūriki Retrieval Mission_

 **Mission Members:**   _Hatake Kakashi, Yamanaka Inochi, Nara Shikaku, Aburame Shibi, Yamato. Subject to change._

 **Mission rank:**   _S-rank_

 **Objective:**   _Bring Konohagakure’s jinchūriki back to the village_

 **Mission description:**   _Find Uzumaki Naruto ( S-Rank missing-nin ) and retrieve the jinchūriki. Objective is traveling with Uchiha Sasuke ( S-Rank missing-nin ). If shown resistance or retaliation, kill Uchiha Sasuke. Do_ ** _NOT_** _kill Uzumaki Naruto._

 **Mission time:**   _N/A_

 

* * *

 

He and Naruto sneeze at the same time.

“Phew!” Naruto says, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “A lot of people must be talking about us, huh? That’s the hundredth time today!”

“Only idiots believe in that stuff.” Sasuke tuts, rubbing his arms. The rain around them washes over all green, the scent of wet earth and petrichor filling his senses. Naruto huddles closer to him under the slab rock they’re under— there’s no point in building a shelter, and it’d be too risky to do so anyway. Their luck, just like the dirt, has been dampened. He doesn’t want to curse the gods, but he’s pretty damn close. “Dammit. We could be moving towards the border right now.”

“ _Teme,_  I said that! And you were all like  _‘Don’t complain, Naruto, there’s no point in traveling while it’s pouring,’”_  Naruto says, using an absurd tone that does NOT sound like Sasuke at all. He can’t help but roll his eyes at the boy’s theatrics, one hand opening up the rucksack between his knees. From the corner of his eye, he sees Naruto scrunching his nose.

“We should map out where we’re going to go,” Sasuke says. The only reason he hadn’t done so beforehand was because they were too close to the village—  _‘The walls have ears,’_  his brother once told him, and he never doubted it. But now, it’s essential. “Hold this, take out your ink and brush. We need light.”

Naruto blinks, taking the map before Sasuke busies himself with hand signs. There’s a jutsu for this, he knows; a ball of light technique. Unfortunately, he never got around to learning it, so he’ll settling for the next best thing.

 _“Katon: Flame Flicker.”_  Sasuke says, a small burst of heat at the very center of his palm. It’s unstable, the edges of his fire crackling strangely from the lightning affinity coursing through, but it’s enough. A bit bigger than it needs to be, though.

His mother had taught him the jutsu, after he fell down the damn stairs one night because he couldn’t be bothered with a light switch.

“Whoaaa, cool!” Naruto says in glee, and Sasuke can’t help but smile. Such a kid, he thinks, as if he’s any older. By now, Naruto has his brush ready to use. Sasuke keeps mind of the fire as he scoots impossibly closer.  _So he’ll hear me better,_  he tells himself. Yeah.

“Okay. Based on the big tree that we saw, we should be here,” Sasuke says, pointing to a place on the map. Naruto makes a dot, even though he didn’t ask. “And we want to go… where?”

“Uzushio,” Naruto supplies, and he draws an ‘x’ off the coast of the Land of Fire. “It’s here.” Pause. “We’re pretty far, aren’t we?”

“It’s better this way.” Sasuke says. From where they are, they’re pretty close to the border; in a day’s worth of travel, maybe half if they keep up their pace, they could trek into the Land of Dew. “We’ll be going the long way around. Risky, but if we want to change a world…”

“We have to know how other people live in it,” Naruto says, nodding to himself, and the quirk has Sasuke smiling. “That makes sense! Does this mean we’ll go into the other hidden villages, too?”

Sasuke shakes his head. “No. Remember, to Konohagakure and the rest of the nations, you’re a military weapon on the loose. Plus, it’ll be harder to disguise ourselves with shinobi around. We’ll go through the smaller villages in the outskirts. But we won’t be making any stops while we’re still in the Land of Fire.”

“Hmmm….” Naruto deflates. “So no fights, then?”

“Hate to break it to you, dobe, but if we want to make it to Uzushio, we have to avoid conflict at all costs.” Sasuke says. But he gets it; Naruto has always been someone who is eager, active. Not to mention that, being born in one of the world’s greatest villages, violence is all he and Sasuke know. But for the sake of their own survival, they’ll have to change themselves.

“‘Ttebayo… But we’ll still help people, right?” Naruto asks. “Like, what if an old lady needs help picking yams or something? Or if a little girl loses her doll?”

“Are you trying to compromise with me?”

“Teme, it’s not compromising! This is fact now, I declare it!”

“Then why’d you ask?”

“... Oh, you little shit—“

“Anyway,” Sasuke says, but he doesn’t hide his smirk. The fact they’re going to help how they can is a given, but he knows that Naruto is just trying to include him in his decisions. But he’s as much of a leader here as Sasuke is. “My family— they went on missions a lot, but I have to say, my knowledge on villages is really limited.”

“How about one? Ooame,” Naruto tilts his head. He then gasps, putting the brush handle between his teeth and fishing through his own bag. “Hold on, I’ve got something that can help us!”

The boy pulls out a scroll, opening it up. In the cramped space, it’s inconvenient, but there’s not much else they can do. He activates the seal with his chakra, and a book pops out of it. Sasuke picks it up.

“ _‘Village travel guide: what you need to know.’”_  Sasuke reads. Based on the title alone, he guesses it’ll only cover the basics of the villages, but it’s enough. “Good thinking, Naruto. Looks like we’re not going in totally blind.”

Naruto smiles brightly, cheeks looking like they’re flushing, and Sasuke has to look away and down at the map again.

Amegakure. Iwagakure. Kusagakure. Takigakure. Otogakure. Yugagakure. These are the hidden villages that line their path. But as long as they stay on the outskirts and avoid any problems, they should be fine.

He doesn’t know how long it’s going to take, doesn’t know how they’ll survive, but they’re going to get to Uzushio. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:  
> \- amegakure is in an unnamed country, so i called it the land of dew!  
> \- i actually planned for a compete shitshow but figured the council is too Strung Up and Secretive for an all out fight ... tragic  
> \- imma keep it real and say this: i have never gone thru shippuden in full and only just started so sorry if they’re inaccuracies!!  
> \- sasuke always get the shit end  
> \- from now on, this will definitely be a traveling fic. after all, this is about the journey to uzushio! we’ll def still have conflicts and such but we’ll also be covering locations
> 
> next chap: first stop, land of dew!


	9. dew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto and sasuke enter a new land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bc it’s naruto’s birthday and i cannot stay away for my Life… an update for this story too. pls enjoy!

The Land of Dew is true to its name. Just one leap across the river, and the humidity instantly picks up as they walk further into the land. If Sasuke had known it would be such a place, he wouldn’t have worn such clothing.

The grass gives in easily under his feet, but rather than a crunch, there’s a soft squelch from wet soil. Unlike in the forests of the Land of Fire, with its large, thick trees and heavy leaves, sun manages to break through the treetops, casting the earth in its warm glow. Mist is gathered close to the ground, water droplets fall from plants, and light dances on every surface— from every rock to every leaf, there is dew, the passing storm only bringing life again.

“This place is so pretty, I can barely breathe.” Naruto says beside him, holding the guidebook in his hands. His eyes are locked where there are birds sitting in their nest. “... Like, actually, why the fuck is the air so thick? My lungs are gonna collapse!”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. Yeah, the guy’s not going to be a poet any time soon.

“It rains a lot in Amegakure.” Sasuke says, letting his gaze fall over the scenery again. There’s so much moisture that moss is in abundance, bugs making their home. “It only makes sense that the country it’s in is constantly under the weather.”

“Konoha’s in the Land of Fire, and you don’t see the place burning up!” Naruto argues. And it’s a really dumb argument, because they learned this in the Academy; it’s only called that because of the nation’s affinity for fire. “How long till we get to Ooame, anyway?!”

“The more you complain, the farther away from it  the gods will take us.” Sasuke says, taking out the map, and Naruto’s head knocks against his in an effort to see. He jabs him in the side with his elbow. “Look up Ooame. Tell me what we’re dealing with.”

Naruto grumbles, but from the corner of Sasuke’s eye, he can see the boy opening up the book. He’s flipping through pages before landing on one, and there’s a frown on his face. Sasuke doesn’t like that.

“The Land of Dew: towns and villages.” Naruto reads out loud. “Number one: Ooame Town. It is located near M… uh…. Mmmmmmmm….”

Sasuke turns his head, and he can see how tightly Naruto’s brows are knitting together. Like they’re threatening to fuse or something. Carefully, he leans over, scans the page. ‘Miyashi’ is the word.

Naruto is not a book person. But it’s never been because he didn’t find books interesting— after all, he has an entire scroll filled with them, because  _ ‘we need to know everything!’ _ —. No, it’s because reading, in general, has always been hard for him. And it’s not his fault, either; all the teachers would do is yell at him, tell him to figure it out on his own time.

“Miyashi,” Sasuke says, and Naruto flushes in embarrassment. “Don’t worry. I’ll make you read a lot, and you’ll make the Hokage look like a dunce.”

Naruto laughs a little at that. It’s a better look on him.

Ooame Town, Naruto informs him, is located near Miyashi Lake. It’s a small town, with a population of about 100 people or so, and is usually a popular stop due to its proximity to the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Meadows. A double edged sword; with enough people, they can weave through the place, rest, and leave. But there’s a chance shinobi may be there, and Sasuke’s not sure if people have heard the news. But it can’t be helped.

“We’re going to have to do something about us before we get to town,” Sasuke says as they walk, and Naruto quirks a brow. “Think about it. Two kids, traveling alone, no adult around. What are people going to think?”

“That’s not really a problem in Konoha.” Naruto murmurs, and Sasuke… well. He doesn’t know what exactly to say to that, but he doesn’t need to, because Naruto suddenly perks up. “Wait, wait, so are you suggesting… transformations?”

Sasuke snorts. Of course he’d be excited about doing ninjutsu.

“We don’t exactly have costumes.” Sasuke says, stopping short when he sees a frog leap from a log. They must be close to the lake. “I suppose you already know how to do it, right? Considering you literally jumped me and tried to get at Sakura.”

Naruto’s face turns a blaring red at that, bold against the gentle serenity of the forest. “H-hey! At least I got you down to a T, ‘ttebayo! Shitty smirk and everything! Just you wait, I’m going to make a transformation that’s cooler than yours, and I’ll last longer!”

“Hmph. We’ll see.” Sasuke says, shrugging off his rucksack. It’s…. a gamble. Because while Sasuke is pretty decent at controlling his chakra, he also admittedly has less juice, much to his chagrin. In a situation where he’ll have to use the Sharingan, the jig would be up. The only time they’ll be able to be out of the transformation is when they’re in the actual inn.

And besides, he has no idea what someone from the Land of Dew is supposed to look like. Would they look as dreary as people from Amegakure? Not with this scenery, he thinks. He’ll just have to make something up from the environment around him.

A poof draws him out of his thoughts, and Sasuke turns to see that Naruto….

“… There is no way in hell you’re going to be unseen looking like that,”

“Whaaat?! C’mon! This is totally cool and I very much will!” Naruto says, voice deep as he flexes. His form is… outlandish; a tall, grown man, with messy red hair cascading down and stopping at his chest. His jaw is defined, and even if his face is rather sharp his eyes are golden and delicate, much like Naruto’s own. His clothes are as colorful as he is, too. “Like what you see? You’re looking at the Sandaime Uzukage, ’ttebayo!”

Sasuke opens and closes his mouth, literally speechless. Is this… really how the Uzukage looked like? It definitely seems like someone who’s worthy of command and respect, as wild as he seems. He… actually is pretty handsome, Sasuke thinks, even though he’s never been one to care about looks.

“I’m looking at a total idiot. An eyesore, really. Is that actually how you looked like back in the day?” Sasuke says with a turned up nose, and Naruto huffs an angry breath through his nose, stomping hard as he points at him. Which looks rather funny, considering he looks like an adult.

“Like you’re one to talk! You have the dumbest face I’ve ever seen!” Naruto blurts out, and with another puff of smoke he’s back to looking like himself. And it’s only then that he realizes he prefers this Naruto so much better, with his whiskers, sky blue eyes, and really weird eye makeup. “So what’re you suggesting we do, Mr. Book Of Rules?”

“We don’t need to look like adults,” Sasuke says, looking around again. He doesn’t have a big enough imagination for this. “Just old enough that people won’t ask us where our parents are, and won’t try to mess with us. Take a look at the world around you, and garner inspiration.”

“That sounds corny,” Naruto mumbles, but he’s putting his hands together anyway. “But alright! I’ll still better than you, ‘ttebayo!”

Both Naruto and Sasuke, in truth, has transformed many times. It’s something deep and personal that neither of them bring up, but they both understand. They’ve played with the idea of self expression, of ideal bodies and how they want to present themselves. It took a ridiculous amount of transformations to figure himself out. His shirt is big and loose, making it easier to breathe and hide, but he finds that flowy clothing in general feels better on him.

Sasuke closes his eyes, trying to imagine a body from just the environment alone. The feelings the forest brings him, its colors. His brows furrow when he hears a poof, and only hopes that Naruto’s done something practical.

A poof later, and Sasuke opens his eyes, sees Naruto, and stays quiet for a bit.

“... Get rid of the electric blue hair.”

“Oh, come on!”

 

* * *

 

The town is bustling with activity, horses clopping down the streets, vendors advertising their goods. At every establishment, there’s a huge barrel, some of them filled to the brim with water while others are halfway there. Most likely because they’re collecting rainwater, he thinks.

“We’re really here,” Naruto whispers next to him, speaking without the usual raspiness in his tone as astonished brown eyes look around. “Look, Sasuke, there’s a takoyaki stand! Can we go buy some? Pleeease?”

“Takoyaki isn’t much nutrition, dobe. Also,you’re not supposed to call me that. We agreed on fake names.” Sasuke says simply, and Naruto groans next to him. He can do that all he wants, but he’d rather spend his money on something that’ll keep them both satisfied for a few hours. “You know what? There’s an eating place up ahead. Wait for me there,  _ Emi.” _

Naruto grunts beside him, and even as he ends up complying, the drag in his step shows he’s upset. Once he’s out of sight, though, he walks up to the stand. The old woman running the stand is kind, giving him an extra because he reminds her of her grandchild. Sasuke bows, taking the bag diligently and walking towards the shop he sent Naruto to.

The boy is waiting by the entrance, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted together, and Sasuke finds that his lips are threatening to betray him in a smile as he hides the bag as best as he can.

“Too scared to go and order on your own?” Sasuke asks, and Naruto scoffs, turning his face away.

“The only reason I hadn’t is because you’re so finicky with your money,  _ Kimiyo. _ How do you expect to get married this way? Tsk, tsk.” Naruto says with a finger wag, and Sasuke rolls his eyes. “C’mon, I’m starving.”

The food is pleasant. The cuisine is most fish; it looks like this shop gets their meat fresh from the lake, which is good for business. The preparation was strange to see, but it’s nice to know the town is faring well. Sasuke wonders if it’s because of the lack of shinobi or something else.

By the time they make it out, he figures it’s about noon, though the clouds blocking the sun make it hard for him to really know. Naruto is walking beside him and tapping his stomach, and Sasuke finds himself feeling a bit too tired for his liking. Luckily, the inn is just up ahead.

“We’re not really going to sleep already, are we?” Naruto says with pleading eyes, and Sasuke sighs. Even when he looks like as old as he does, there’s no mistaking the child in there. “We might as well explore! Take a look around!”

“Don’t know if you noticed, but we’re kind of in a tough spot.” Sasuke says. “We’ll have to do inventory, sleep, and be on our way if we want to reach You Know Where as fast as possible.”

Naruto grumbles, turning his face away again. How many times will he do this today alone? Sasuke shakes his head. He then pulls the door open, immediately presented with a familiar uniform, and even more familiar is the shock of silver hair.

Oh fucking hell.

“Well, as you wait for your other party members, may you please wait on the side?” Says the man behind the counter, and Kakashi nods. Other party members? Two elite jōnin are enough to deal with. They’re really not fucking around. “Oh! Hello there! Welcome to Ooame Inn! Come in, come in!”

Sasuke tries to force down the panic in his system, not exactly showing complete disinterest— after all, Kimiyo is a role he has to play—, instead trying to smile as he walks to the counter. From his right, he can feel Naruto’s hand slip into his, squeezing in reassurance. Something washes over him, instantly making him feel calmer.

“Hi,” Naruto says, suddenly sounding a lot more mature. “My friend here and I would like to book a room, please. With two beds if that’s possible.”

“Of course,” Says the innkeeper, and from the corner of his eye he can see Kakashi looking at them, and he forces himself to remain calm. “For how many nights will that be, friend?”

As Naruto negotiates, Sasuke exhales a breath in his mind, trying to register the other jōnin with Kakashi. A man with a striking resemblance to the shadow kid and a man with dead eyes he’s only ever seen on himself. Great. They don’t seem to be suspecting anything, only talking about gods know what.

Sasuke feels a pull from Naruto, and he mutters a ‘thank you’ to the innkeeper as they head to the upper floor, and Sasuke can’t even pretend that he’s not walking at a brisk pace. They quickly scurry into their room, and Naruto quickly closes the door. He then puts his bag down, taking out a tag and a kunai, slicing his finger before drawing out a seal and tacking it on the door.

“Fūinjutsu: Conceal.” Naruto says, and Sasuke goes over to the window, closing the blinds before finally letting go of his transformation, back to being himself and letting out a heavy breath as he sits on one of the beds.

“To think they got here this fast,” Sasuke says, hearing Naruto poof out of the transformation as well. “Damn bastards. As expected from jōnin.”

“What are we gonna do?” Naruto asks, sucking on his finger. Honestly, Sasuke can’t understand how the guy can cut himself with a blade so casually but scream when he gets a paper cut. “We can’t just leave right now. We’ll raise suspicion. And you need rest.”

“Tch. Don’t act like you’re not human too, dobe.” Sasuke says, but Naruto has a point, and he hates it.  It would be counterproductive to move now. “... We should sleep now, and leave either as soon as we wake up or before sunrise. We can’t risk staying longer than we have to.”

“Yeah,” Naruto says with a sigh, rolling his shoulder. “I gotta admit, doing that extra stuff… my chakra’s getting cut.”

“Extra stuff?”

“You know when I held your hand downstairs?” Naruto says rather than asks, and Sasuke nods slowly. “Well, at first, I was doing it because I knew you were getting nervous, but I also concealed our chakra! I needed direct contact since I’m not advanced enough to do it without it, which really sucks by the way—“

Sasuke widens his eyes. What is he talking about? The fact he could even do it at all is amazing— even Itachi had trouble doing such a thing.

“No wonder they didn’t find us out,” Sasuke says. “Did you do that on the door, too?”

“Yeah. I used my blood instead of the ink, so that it works better, and it should hold up.” Naruto says, and he hauls his bag and scroll onto the bed, digging around. The fact he managed to hid the damn scroll under the guise of another bag is… “Let’s do, uh, whatchamacallit…”

“Inventory,” Sasuke says. “Good idea.”

They’ll get out of here. They won’t get trapped. Not again.

 

* * *

 

“I could’ve sworn I caught their scent.” Kakashi says within the quarters that is the inn room, with Shibi sitting in the far corner on a chair, Shikaku pretty much half asleep and Yamato checking his bag. “It was faint, but I did.”

“We believe you, Senpai.” Yamato says, not even looking up from where he’s laying out his items on the bed. “After all, you hail from two dog clans.”

“Maybe they were here, but made it further than we assumed.” Inochi says, crossing his arms as he leans on the windowsill. “After all, they’re your students, Kakashi. I wouldn’t put it past them to advance so quickly.”

“We’ll be spending another day here anyway,” Shikaku says, a bit groggily. “We can search for them. Even if they’re your students, they’re also fresh genin.”

Kakashi furrows his brows. “Don't underestimate them. After all, they managed to escape Konoha with barely any trace. To think that they thought so far ahead…”

“Not even a map left behind.” Shibi says, face indecipherable behind his jacket collar. “We don’t even have an idea of a path to follow.”

“Chances are they don’t even know the terrain of most countries.” Inochi sighs. “There’s no telling of their survival.”

Kakashi can’t help but clench his fists at that. It’s true; the world is too big, and they know so little. At the very least, Kakashi had graduate when he was 5. By the time he was their age, he had already seen more than enough.

“I’ll go look around a little more.” Kakashi says calmly, despite himself. “If anyone wants to come with, feel free.”

As he exits, he can smell Inochi following him, the man catching up to walk beside him. A good choice, really; if they were to run into Naruto and Sasuke, he’s the best chance they’ve got to subdue the latter without having to kill him. Bypassing the Sharingan is not easy, but the Yamanakas are powerful. There’s a reason why they’re in the Intelligence Division.

“Hey, Kakashi…” Inochi begins, and by his tone, Kakashi knows he’s going to say something considerate. “I know how hard it is for you right now. We’ll find them.”

“I know. It’s fine. There’s no need for comfort.” Kakashi has lost many people in his life. Everyone knows this. And you’d think that, by now, the burden would be easier, but it seems like the stakes only get higher, and history keeps repeating itself.

He’s had his dreams at night. Of Sasuke winding up like Obito, of Naruto winding up like Rin. He’s never in them, because he’d always be running in place, never getting to stop their tragedies in time. Kakashi doesn’t underestimate his students— his comrades, his ‘pups’ as Pakkun pitched in—, but luck is also a part of a shinobi’s success, and he’s not sure how much of it they’ve got.

Inochi gives him a knowing look. “I have a daughter, Kakashi. As a shinobi, I know better than to worry about her, because I know what she can do. But as a father— as a human being… we can’t help but feel these things. I know you understand that. Be kinder to yourself.”

Kakashi doesn’t respond to that.

As they round the corner, two figures are descending down the stairs. They’re holding hands, and Kakashi feels no need to speculate what’s not his business.

What is, though, is the sense of familiarity. Something’s bugging his nose, and his eye narrows slightly, carefully observing them.

They look local enough, both looking no older than fifteen, one of them looking more androgynous than the other. It’s that one that really catches Kakashi’s eye— something is strange about the way they carry themself. And by a brilliant thought that takes one second, he purposely bumps into them.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry,” Kakashi apologizes with a smile, the other looking shocked. Not just surprised, but shocked. “Seems like I wasn’t looking where I was going— huh. Didn’t I see you earlier?”

“Ah, yes,” The person says, a smile of their own on their face as they wave their hand. “Don’t worry, shinobi-san. It was just an accident after all.”

“Maa, you’re too kind. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Kakashi can see how the other person blinks owlishly, and he can practically feel Inochi staring back. Meanwhile, the person he bumped into nods, a sweet smile on their face.

“Alright then,” Kakashi says finally, starting to walk. “I’ll see you around.”

The duo leave politely, and he waits till they’re out of earshot before Inochi leans down to whisper, quirking a brow. “Well? Did you get anything?”

“We’ll see.” Kakashi says, bringing the fabric of the shoulder that had bumped into the teen and taking a whiff.

Familiar, but not enough.

 

* * *

 

By the time Kakashi asks for them at the front desk the next day, the innkeeper says they’re turned in their keys. They’re gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes: 
> 
> \- the land of meadows is what im callin the country kusa is in bc. it's also an unnamed country. dammit kishi
> 
> \- at this point you can believe sasuke is like “konoha is irredeemable. naruto doesnt even kno how to read bc of its shitty academy”
> 
> \- ok so one thing that, as a trans person, it would be p useful if u could literally try out different lookin bodies to see what u'd look like for urself. so i present to u: hc that sasuke and naruto figure out they’re both Not As Cis via the transformation technique
> 
> \- ik there’s a canon barrier seal that does the same effect as this one ( five seal ) but like. Who Has The Time
> 
> \- you bet sasuke was goin thru 10 heart attacks. the past has a lot more affect on him than he himself thought
> 
> \- hc that kakashi not only comes from one dog clan ( hatake ) but two ( inuzuka )…. i think it’s pretty dang sick but also … imagine kakashi w/ fangs. so Yeah
> 
> i'll be seein yall next time folks


	10. meadows - pt. i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto and sasuke make some mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chap for yall! this one is a wee bit longer, but i hope you enjoy!! once again, the land of meadows = kusa’s country!
> 
> p.s. i love these kids , forgive me,

The sun nearly blinds him as his eyes snap open, the image of violence still fresh in his mind.

It reeks. He reeks. Sasuke reeks. They’ve been traveling for two days in humid weather, sweaty and dirty, their clothes not doing much in terms of protecting them from the elements. Not to mention this crevice of dirt they’re sleeping in. Sasuke insisted they cover their scent as much as possible, seeing as how Kakashi ‘almost found them out’. He’s pretty paranoid.

But he guesses Sasuke’s right to feel that way. Sure, they expected they’d be followed, but it’s clear that Konohagakure isn’t planning to pull any punches in terms of searching for them. And to have someone like Kakashi on the team… Naruto doesn’t know if Konoha purposely sent him to fuck with them or if it really just because skilled enough to do so. He wouldn’t put it past them for the former.

Naruto sighs, sort of cringes from the slight smell of last night’s yakotaki ( that, by the way, he had no idea Sasuke bought! ). He turns his head to look at his friend beside him, the boy’s cheek against the one pillow. He looks so… cute. Like he’s not a complete asshole or a renegade. Just a little boy trying to get some shut-eye. Naruto feels the urge to pinch his cheek, but his hands are dirty.

“You didn’t wake me up again, dobe.” Sasuke murmurs. Naruto rolls his eyes, climbing out of the crevice before shaking off loose soil. He remembers Iruka always scolding him for getting so much dirt on his clothes, talking about the importance of staying as clean as possible as he helped Naruto wash clothes on a washboard. “It’s crucial to our survival.” Pause. “Your hair is weird.”

“Yeah, yeah. You know what else is? You. Get the fire ready,” Naruto says, taking his rucksack from where he placed it under a log and taking a scroll out from one of its many pockets. He can hear shuffling as he unravels it, activating the seal. It’s just one noodle cup— they could do two, but they also need to, you know, save stuff. He takes it, rolls the scroll back up and tucks it back in its place.

Sasuke is pouring some water they’ve collected from last night’s rain into a tin. Not even a pot, just a tin, and his hands then fly into hand signs, fire coming to life in his palm. It never gets old. After their breakfast, they used the leftover water to wash out their mouths— he’s kiiiind of regretting not bringing his toothbrush.

“Oookay!” Naruto says, pumping a fist up, both in an effort to really wake Sasuke up and pick up his spirit. “So what’re we going to do? Hit another town? Help some locals? Cross the border?”

“Border.” Sasuke says as he starts walking, and Naruto pouts as he watches the other open up the map. He was kind of hoping they’d go into a town. “The Land of Meadows should be near, and three places close enough that we can stop at— Nogu, Shiba, and Zaso. Shiba’s way too close to the border, so look up Nogu and Zaso.”

“You know, maybe we should switch places! Reading sucks!”

“I said I’d make you read.”

“I didn’t think you were _serious!”_

Sasuke’s lips quirk up into a small grin, and while half of Naruto wants to wipe it off, another is content that the boy isn’t acting aloof. One thing that had really bothered Naruto back in the village was just how… cold Sasuke was to everyone else. It came from a need to protect himself, he thinks, and the only person Sasuke would ever smile to would be Naruto. He had literally almost died for him, and even then he smiled, trying to soothe him with his last breath.

Sasuke has given him a lot. The fact he’s here now, dirty and spent but still smiling, says a lot about the kind of person he is. Everyone thinks Sasuke feels nothing. He feels everything, so deeply. Even someone as dumb as Naruto himself can see that. His face feels super hot. Must be from the dirt caked on it or something like that.

Naruto opens up the guide, scanning through the pages—  he doesn’t how the word ‘meadow’ looks like—, finally finding what he’s looking for, speaking out loud as they trail along.

"Nogu is a village in the Land of Meadows, about 10 miles away from the border.”

“10 miles, huh?” Sasuke says, and Naruto doesn’t like his tone at all. “That’s a 2 hour travel time. Can be cut to half if we move quick enough. We’re literally going to lose all the calories we just got from eating an already horribly nutritious meal. How far is Zaso?”

Naruto flips the page. Then deflates. “60 miles. We lose either way.”

“2 hours versus 17 isn’t bad.” Sasuke says, facing ahead. “That’s strange, though. That the villages are so far apart. Keep reading.”

Naruto sticks his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he flips the page back. “In the… uh…  aftermath of the Second Shinobi War—“ Why does that sound familiar to him, did they learn about the wars, “— the village was built in an effort to keep enemies away, but is now a living— uh—area for 340 people. Not many travelers come to Nogu due to its bad beginnings and clan disputes.”

“We’ll check it out, then.” Sasuke says, and Naruto smiles widely. Finally, some insight! Not to say Ooame town wasn’t enjoyable but… it was fine. A.K.A. it didn’t give them any info. “What year was that guide published? Look at the first page.”

“Uh,” Naruto flips through again. “... 5 years ago. Hey, hey, what if we—“

He’s interrupted when the land underneath him gives away more than expected, the usually hard packed soil like a mush under his feet. Naruto lets out a yelp, one of his hands flying out for help, and Sasuke takes him by the elbow.

“Holy _shit!_ I almost died, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto laughs out, and Sasuke rolls his eyes. His friend pulls him free, and now… well. There’s mud in his shoe. “Oh, man, this stinks.”

“I know. The air’s getting… pungent.” Sasuke says. And while Naruto didn’t mean it literally, he does smell… something. Has been for a while now, but he just thought it was part of them. Sasuke looks around, and Naruto only wonders what he’s thinking.

“What’s up?” Naruto says, shaking his foot, and Sasuke puts his own foot forward, poking at the ground in front of them. He then furrows his brows. “Are we near the border?”

“... I think we’re already at the border.” Sasuke says, now turning to Naruto. “We have to watch our step now, lest we want to get mud on our pants.”

Naruto shivers. “Or in them. Yuck.”

Sasuke chuckles a bit— He looks like Mikoto, if not only a rougher version,—, and they make their way forward again. But a certain white flower catches his eye, and he stops his friend by the top of his rucksack.

“Waaaait, wait,” Naruto says, quickly racing over to the patch of grass, plucking the flower out. He can feel Sasuke’s stare on him, but can only smile to himself. He remembers seeing his dad doing this to his mum! This is going to be a good prank. “Let’s take a souvenir.”

“A flower?” Sasuke asks, but more like says, because he’s deadpanning. “Not much of a souvenir, dobe. It’s going to die in a few days. You might want to go for a rock.”

Naruto shakes his head. Getting up from his knees, he turns to Sasuke, taking the stem gently between his two fingers and walking over. Sasuke eyes him, and he almost bursts in laughter.

“You know, I really like pretty things,” Naruto says, and Sasuke scrunches his nose. He calmly tucks the flower on the junction of Sasuke’s hair, the other boy’s eyes widening. Haha, yeah, this is... “...I think this could help you with your ugly mug.”

Sasuke blinks, and Naruto almost expects him to get irritated, to say something like _‘we need to cover our scent!’_ or _‘we have to remain unidentifiable!_ ’ or even _‘dude, I hate flowers!’._ Sasuke’s hand comes up to reach his ear, and Naruto can see the faintest hint of coloration in his face, even with the dirt. It had the effect that he wanted, because he remembers how his mum’s cheeks heated up.

But instead of laughing out loud like Minato, Because It’s A Prank, Naruto… doesn’t. Only folds his arms behind his head, quickly moving forward and trying to ignore the stuttering in his chest.

“Anyway! Let’s keep going!”

Naruto’s hearing is not the best. Never has been. The only reason he had become a shinobi was because he had a stupid dream of being hokage and, because he’s still seeing these memories, the village wouldn’t have let its jinchūriki sit out. So when he hears nothing else, he assumes Sasuke hasn’t said anything at all.

They’re silent, and it’s only a little awkward, but neither of them makes a move to fill the void. Instead, Naruto focuses on the scenery around them; the trunks of trees are getting darker, but the trees themselves are also getting more spaced out. The smell is getting heavier, and Naruto is…. disgusted. Sasuke has yet to walk beside him, which kind of makes him even more uncomfortable.

At some point, the grass becomes more dull, and before him is a long stretch of water and patches of land. The memory of Uzushio’s sea, her rivers, and lakes bloom pleasantly in his brain, and he steps onto the water, feeling how it moves underneath him and has him feeling like he’s a ball floating down a stream. It’s something incredibly familiar, bringing a sense of nostalgia.

_“… ruto!”_

Naruto turns around to see Sasuke right at the edge of the water, hands cupped over his mouth, red in the face and breathing hard. It’s like he ran a marathon, and Naruto scratches the back of his head as he walks back. Sasuke looks absolutely deflated as his shoulders drop.

“I was going to tell you we had to figure out a way to cross,” Sasuke breathes, putting his hands on his hips, and he actually looks pissed this time. “But it looks like you have it figured out. Why did you never tell me you could walk on water? We didn’t learn that with Kakashi.”

Naruto flushes. Sasuke’s… right. He guesses he should’ve at least consulted him first before he started to cross. But it had slipped his mind. Even so, Naruto puffs out his chest, putting his own hands on his hips.

“C’mon, Sasuke, I’m an Uzumaki! I was practically born from water, ’ttebayo! Actually, fun fact, I was born in water as Hamako!” Naruto chirps, and Sasuke then crosses his arms, scowling at him. It’s then that Naruto thinks back, smiles a bit. “So you don’t know how to walk on water. Do you need some help?”

Sasuke clenches his jaw. Okay, now he barks out a laugh, and just barely dodges a pebble that Sasuke throws at him. “Idiot! Stop laughing and just teach me how to do it! We don’t have time!”

“Exactly. I’ll teach you when it’s safer.” Naruto says, starting to get a little bit more serious. Uzushiogakure is still far, far away, and who knows if his sensei’s— no, _former_ sensei’s—team has figured out where they’re going and how they’ll get there. He moves right next to Sasuke, hands out. “I’m gonna carry you, okay?”

Sasuke squints. “Aren’t you forgetting the fact I have a huge ass bag? There’s no way you can carry the combined weight.”

“Ha! You think me for a fool, ducky? Do not underestimate the power of Uzumaki Naruto!” Naruto says, bringing his fingers up to a seal. He hadn’t used this move for a while since they left, and it’s about time. “Kage Bunshin!”

Another Naruto appears, smiling brightly, and Sasuke really looks like he’s dreading what’s to come. It makes him grin, and his clone stretches his arms toward the boy.

“C’mon, ya priss. Give the cargo here. We have to get moving if we want to survive.”

Sasuke stays still for a few moments, and Naruto’s about ready to just tear the bag off of him, but he relents. He takes off the rucksack, handing it over to the clone before his entire body sags as he lifts his arms. Naruto can’t help but snicker, moving to lift the boy off his feet, and Sasuke crosses his arms.

“I hope you’re not wasting all your chakra on this,” He mutters, and Naruto has to roll his eyes.

“Are you forgetting that I have a beast as a tenant? Not only that, my bloodline’s all about chakra! So just enjoy the ride, ‘cause I’m not doing this again, ‘ttebayo.” Naruto says, already starting their walk. “What’s this place, anyway? It stinks!”

“It’s called a wetland.” Sasuke says, looking at his knees. He’s so weird. “A marsh, specifically. I’m guessing that the rain of the Land of Dew combined with the Land of Meadows’ grasslands ended up making a natural barrier between the two. It looks like it’s going to take us a bit to get across.”

Naruto blows a raspberry. “I can run the whole way.”

“And risk dropping me? No. Absolutely not.” Sasuke says, before his brows knit together in what seems like thought. Naruto raises one of his own brows. “… All this water. You have a water release, don’t you?”

_What._

“Nnnno?” Naruto says, and Sasuke looks up at him, making an odd face before he opens his mouth a bit, then sighs. “Wait, wait, wait, you told me back in Waves that I had two releases, right? Why didn’t you tell me it was water? We could’ve already changed the tides— literally!”

Sasuke shrugs nonchalantly. “It slipped my mind.”

Naruto huffs. Slipped his mind, huh? Well, he’s about to make it unforgettable. The gears in his brain turn as he tries to make the hand sign ( folding Sasuke in the process, and Sasuke indeed does look stressed, ). “Kage Bunshin!”

Another one of his clones pops up, and Sasuke looks apprehensive, eyes darting between the three Narutos. “What the hell are you doing, dobe? You better not be thinking something stupid—“

“It’s not stupid,” Naruto says with a grin, handing Sasuke over to his clone— _‘oh, no, this is weird’_ —, and his hands begin to fly into seals. He can do this. “I’m about to get us across this wetland, no problem!—

_Suiton: Fish Parade!”_

 

* * *

 

_“Suiton: Fish Parade,” Says his sensei, crossing her arms as she walks calmly to the right for a bit, turns on her heel, and walks to the left. The ocean’s waves carry her along gently, taking the form of small fish underneath her shoes. “Is a pretty special technique. Has lots of character. But it’s hard to master.”_

_“Hard to master is our difficulty setting already, Hato-sensei,” Suiren says in a pout next to Hamako, and he snickers a bit. It’s true— they’re only just genin, but they’re the best of the best, as humble as he may be._

_Namikaze Hato. The gold plate of her hitai-ate is all one needs to see to know that she— and apologies for being crude—isn’t one to fuck around with. True to her clan’s name, she is a born master of wind and water, often using the two side by side in an effort to increase destructive power. The Uzumaki affectionate call them The Sun’s People, for their golden hair and warmth. While the Uzumaki sure had their own, it’s like comparing a campfire in the summer to the inviting heat of you home when the day is cold._

_His sensei raises a brow, a small smile on her face. “You’re not complaining are you? Would you prefer if I give you all some easy jutsus?” She smiles wider when his team all say_ **_‘no!’_ ** _in unison._

_“This jutsu is very versatile.” Hato continues, the fish finally losing their form under her feet. “It’s simple; the size and amount of fish is completely dependent on how much chakra you use. As I just demonstrated, I used very little, so they gathered just under the soles of my feet. If all you want to do is get to point A to point B, that’s all you need. Think of it kind of like ice skating.”_

_“Oh! Oh! I love ice skating!” Says Akari beside him, eyes sparkling and clasping her hands together. “Does it tickle to ride on the watery fish? How big can they get? Oh, this is so exciting!”_

_“Two good questions,” Hato says with a smile. “It’d probably feel ticklish if you were barefoot. You’d usually use the little ones in mode of transportation. But let’s say you want to amp it up, whether you want to travel faster or use them for combat. The tradeoff becomes greater, as you not only need to put in enough chakra to get the size you want, but you’ll have to use chakra to maintain its form. Not to mention the bigger the fish, the less control you’ll have over it.”_

_Hamako chews at the inside of his mouth. That makes enough sense; he supposes that someone like Hato would be able to manipulate the jutsu at will using her wind to guide, but any other person wouldn’t to be able to stop or steer. He flexes his fingers._

_“A word of advice as well,” Hato continues, putting a finger up. “Do not_ **_ever_ ** _— and I really mean it—_ **_ever_ ** _use this jutsu at your max power in closed water environments or near land. The ocean is vast, you can stay away from the shore, and water is in abundance. Should you choose to do the aforementioned, you could cause destruction to the area. Unless, of course, that’s the goal.”_

_“I see,” Hamako says. No wonder they’re so far out at sea; maybe in case one of them use a bit too much chakra. A smart move._

_“Can we see the jutsu again? Bigger this time!” Suiren says, throwing her hands up, and Hato gives a thoughtful look before crossing her arms, shaking her head. “Whaat? C’mon! I wanna see a big fish! Or big fishes, I guess,”_

_“None of that.” Hato says. “I want you all to try it for yourselves. You all already are using chakra to keep yourself on top of the water, so try adding some more and let it seep in. Are we ready, team?”_

_“Yes sensei!” They all say unison, and Hamako breathes out._

_As an Uzumaki, chakra control is everything. Naturally, the power that courses through his system thrums even more than the blood in his veins. There are seals on his body where every major node is, developed by Mito-sama herself, with her own abnormal amount of chakra. Like training wheels. Which, while embarrassing, is necessary. He closes his eyes, imagining the hand seal order. He can hear Akari scream, and a splash of water._

_**Concentrate, concentrate,** Hamako thinks to himself, hands slowly chaining seals. Just enough to glide on the water, to skate. Let it seep in. _ **_“Suiton: Fish Parade!”_ **

_He feels himself rise slowly, just a bit, and he cracks open one eye. The fish are jumping and moving each other, creating little ripples. He can’t help but smile widely, not lifting his foot as he moves, sliding along._

_Easy peasy._

 

* * *

 

Naruto? Well. He’s not so lucky.

The chakra that comes out isn’t one that just seeps into the water. No, it’s absolutely _breaks_ into the water, creating a billow that fans out, disturbing it. There’s bubbling just below the surface, nearly making him fall over from how they pop.

“… Oh fuck,”

“Naruto…” Sasuke says slowly, but his tone makes Naruto gulp. “What did you do?”

There’s not even a chance to respond. Because the water from the marsh is pulled in towards him, and from the water bursts out massive fish made from the same components. Cattails, grass, shrubs, lily pads— everything is taken into these fish, and he has to put in even more chakra so that he can his clones can stay on.

“Okayokayokayokay I got this!” Naruto yells out, voice breaking, but he doesn’t care. In reality, he doesn’t know how to feel; proud that this is his first time doing the jutsu and getting something big out of it? Upset that he meant to copy Hamako and fail? Scared that, if they don’t land right, they might die? There’s a lot of emotions going on. “Hey, Sasuke, check it out!”

The fish are splashing over each other as they tear through the wetlands, the portions of land getting completely obliterated as Naruto desperately tries to keep up. It sort of feels like… running in place, but you know you’re moving forward, and _pretty damn fast._

 _“Naruto! I’m going to kill you!”_ Sasuke yells, and he can see that his clone is practically turning blue from how the boy’s arms are tight around him. His other clone is holding Sasuke’s rucksack for dear life, yelling on his own, and while Naruto would laugh, Sasuke brings up an interesting point. “Naruto, the land!”

Okay. So. He’s been trying to avoid doing this the entire time, but he’s saying it now: he panics.

“Shitshitshitshit,” Naruto hisses, hands twitching. He didn’t think this through, but then again, he doesn’t think much at all. He doesn’t know how to stop this, tries moving his feet in an effort to change direction, but it doesn’t work. The fish are approaching the grassland fast, and he closes his eyes, preparing for impact.

Suddenly, something smacks him, right on the arm. Infiltrates his system in an unfamiliar way; the feeling of chakra, heated and blazing, ripping through him. In its aftermath, chasing the very tail of chakra surging through, there are crackles, making him jump in his skin— _this,_ he realizes, is what it feels like to have fire and lightning in one’s veins, and it clashes yet meshes so well with his wind and water.

“Naruto!” He hears Sasuke yell. Naruto’s eyes snap open, finds they’re free falling, and gears up. He puts his hands together, summoning new clones down below, all of them with their arms outstretched.

The two boys fall right into their arms, the force enough to pop the clones— he expected as such, though, making enough of them to break their fall. It’s still rough, rolling on the ground as water breaks over you, but they manage to save their bags and the soil is still soft.

“Holy shit,” Naruto breathes, chest falling and rising. “I did that.”

“Never,” Sasuke pants out, having fallen just a few feet away from him. He sounds incredibly dizzy. “And I mean _never_ do that again.”

He totally will. But maybe when they actually get to Uzushio.

 

* * *

 

They’re behind a bush, Naruto’s heart crashing against his ribcage in quick succession, his eyes wide as he takes in the scene in front of him. Sasuke is beside him, looking worse for wear and his eyes showing a kind of emotion Naruto has never seen before.

They’re supposed to be going to Nogu. They’re supposed to be checking out the scene, gathering information. But the sounds of screaming caught both their attention, drawing them towards its origin, and he’s never felt this sick.

A head of red hair, much like someone he’s seen before, is being gripped by the strands as the person attached to them wails. 7 men around her, all trying to get her off the ground, and Naruto’s body feels like it’s catching fire.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says, his fist clenching, the look in his eye turning into something more fierce. Naruto bares his teeth as he brings a knee up from his kneeling position, the dirt shifting beneath his feet. “Don’t just jump in. We need to think of a plan and not be seen—“

And for a second, just for a second, Naruto agrees. But then the men— no, not men, **scum** is more like it—spit vile words, ignore her cries, and their hands hover dangerously close to places where they shouldn’t be.

He sees her. He sees Kaoru. He’s already moving.

“You bastards!” Naruto yells out, running as fast as his tired feet can carry him, alarming the group of shinobi harassing her. The man holding her by the hair is startled into letting go, but she doesn’t run _why is she not running—_  “Get the hell away from her!”

“Who the hell are you?!” One of the men say, drawing a blade from its scabbard, but Naruto still doesn’t waver. He’s throwing up the sword, high enough for it to catch the sunlight. “This’ll be over in a minute, punk—!”

An arrow comes from overhead, knocking into the blade, its wielder almost dropping it. It leaves the group shocked, but Naruto only grin as a shadow jumps over him, his friend’s foot forcing itself onto the shinobi’s face. And just to add insult to the injury, Naruto’s own fist flies forward and into the man’s gut, sending him flying.

“You idiot. We’re not supposed to let ourselves be seen.” Sasuke says as he lands, and man, Naruto knows he’s feeling some kind of adrenaline. He can only keep grinning, though, because it just cements what he already knew: Sasuke cares.

“Ha! Almost thought you’d hang back, asshole,” Naruto says, and Sasuke shakes his head with a sigh, going into a battle stance with his bow and arrow. “Oi, shitheads! The hell do you guys think you’re doing?!”

“For your sakes, we’d rather not fight. Just leave the girl, and get on out of here.” Sasuke says, and Naruto’s eyes shift to her bruised, tear ridden face, her red eyes so big and wide. How long has this been happening to her?

“Tch. Like we’re afraid of a couple of kids,” Says one shinobi, reaching behind him and pulling out an axe. He’s tall, broad, and has a face that reminds him of the shopkeeper who once threw him out against a wall, telling him he’s cursed. He can take him on. “Tenchi! Yagato! Keito! Take the girl and go! We’ll deal with these pests.”

“Yes, Seiji-sensei!” _Sensei._ He’s a fucking teacher, so he must be at least a chūnin with a fucked up brain. Naruto looks up, catching sight of the symbol on the hitai-ate; Kusagakure. It makes something snap inside him. To think that they would put a man so horrible in a position of power…

Naruto clenches his fist.

“Sasuke, go get ‘em,” Naruto says, and Sasuke’s eyes widen. And he guesses it’s warranted; the first time they’re separating, and it’s because of a battle. His fingers come together, clones poofing into existence. “I’ve got this.”

“Hmph. Don’t take too long, dobe,” Sasuke says, and he’s on his way. By the time one of the goons turns to look at him, one of his clones is launching his body into the fray.

“Oi, I’m your opponent, ‘ttebayo!” He yells out, fingers coming to grip at a scroll, unraveling it. Seiji, the one he Actually Really Wants To Decimate, widens his eyes.

“Impossible,” He says, and something within Naruto’s mind sparks, feeling memories begin to force their way out of the crevices of his brain. He has never been here, but he knows someone who has. “You— the Crimson Devil of Konohagakure?!”

 _No,_  his mother says, and Naruto grins. _Just her son, ‘ttebane!_

 

* * *

 

Sasuke is holding onto the girl’s unconscious form, her arm bleeding from odd wounds; bites, he realizes. The boy doesn’t look too bad aside from bruises, but injuries are the least of their worries and Naruto stands in front of them.

There’s a man, skin pasty and an eerie smile on his face, slitted pupils in his eyes.

“Oh,” He says, and Naruto has to steel himself, keep his resolve. “What do we have here?"  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- im havin a bit of trouble knowing whether im doin well balancing the romance vs the action, so please do let me know,
> 
> \- naruto and sasuke? making a series of mistakes after everything went so well last time? more likely thank u think
> 
> \- suiton: fish parade is based on [this!](https://youtu.be/CsR3KVgBzSM?t=80) i thought it would be a fun jutsu 
> 
> \- originally there was a fight w/ kushina but i had to scrap it since this was getting long… but dw, smth will come up!
> 
> \- FUCK kusagakure lives. fuck the shinobi system, actually,
> 
> \- ik oro meeting karin takes place AFTER the chūnin exams so i’ll admit i tampered with the timeline.. but i tampered with canon just makin this fic lbr
> 
> so. karin meets sas + naru before oro gets to her, naru knows more than he did, and sasuke isn’t power hungry. how will this play out? we’ll see!


	11. meadows - pt. ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto is kind of regretting this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i have returned w/ a new chap… tbh im Kinda iffy abt this one since it’s not smth im strong at but here it is! hope you enjoy!

_ Kushina has only seen Orochimaru a few number of times.  _

_ The first time was out on the third training ground. Hokage-jiji would always send his team out around the village, told her it was good for them to bond with the people in it. And because her own sensei is out having to take care of little Iruka ( who, by the way, is adorable! ), Orochimaru is watching over them. After being able to withhold the force of Tsūga, he called her gifted. _

_ The second was on the grassy clearing in the Land of Meadows. The once bright, green grass has either died or is dyed an entire differently color. She knew very little of who they were fighting, why they were fighting, only knew that she’s Konohagakure’s powerhouse and had to show her allegiance to the village by fighting for it. Orochimaru had saved her hind from meeting the end of a machete, said that he was needed in Amegakure, but was interested to see how she’ll ‘perform’ during the rest of the war. She took Mikoto’s pendant into her hand, squeezed it tight. _

_ The third was late at night. It was chilly, and she rubs her hands together trying to warm them. It was then that she heard quick, heavy steps, running down the road. The glimpse of white skin and stark black hair, both with blood tinged on it. Kushina immediately let the Kyūbi’s chakra spike in warning for him to not leave the village, but he only grinned. _

**_“What a shame. I thought you would’ve wanted to come with me instead.”_ **

_ When she had heard the news about him, she cursed herself for not doing anything to stop his madness. _

 

* * *

 

The man in front of him looks unfazed, hair flowing unnaturally as he tilts his head. Orochimaru.

“Oh, dear. It seems you all are injured.” He says calmly, and he takes a step forward. Naruto only covers more of Sasuke and the girl with his body, the man stopping in his advancements. “Come now, no need to be afraid. I believe I may provide some assistance.”

_ Don’t fight him. You can’t win this one, _ says the voice of his mother, distant, but there. Naruto furrows his brows, and for once, can feel his knees tremble. He desperately tries to come up with excuses for himself, that he’s exhausted, that he’s cold, that the deep cut on his knee is making it hard to stand. He grinds his teeth together.

“Yeah, right. How about you just leave us alone and hightail it out of here, _ Orochimaru?” _ Naruto sneers, and Orochimaru’s eye widen, if not just by a sliver, before narrowing them, the rest of his face unreadable. “I don’t know what you want, but you don’t want to mess with me, and even worse with my friends!”

“Orochimaru?” Sasuke asks from behind him, and hell, he’s so glad that he’s standing in front of the guy, because Orochimaru’s gaze is lowering to look at him with a kind of passiveness that he wants to punch right out. “Naruto, do you know who this freak is?!”

“Sorta,” Naruto admits, and Orochimaru seems to be more interested in him now, gold eyes boring into his own. It’s not the same gold of Hamako— it’s colder, more menacing. “He’s a defect of Konohagakure. The bounty on him’s gigantic in the bingo book. He was a candidate to become the Yondaime Hokage, experimented on human beings during his time in Konohagakure and god knows what after that.”

Orochimaru has the audacity to look surprised, blinking owlishly, in the only way a madman who’s being told his crimes to. A flash of an emotion Naruto can’t catch spreads across his face, and he sees his lips moving but doesn’t catch anything.

“What was that, you old hag?! You’ll either have to speak louder than that or eat up your damn words!” Naruto taunts, and there’s a kick to the back of his calf from Sasuke. He can’t afford to turn around and glare, but it’s happening anyway.

“Kushina,” Orochimaru says, the name feeling like a shock through his chest. Until now, he’s heard no one say his mother’s name out loud— not even the Kusagakure-nin. It sounds like something foul rolling off the other’s tongue, like taboo. “Is that really you? You died during the destruction of the Kyūbi attack.”

Sasuke’s breath hitches behind him.

Naruto is starting to simmer, but he forces himself to think. Maybe he can scare him off this way. He’s seen his mother fight before— a terror when she was just a genin. So he blows his blue eyes as wide as possible, hands coming into fists as he puffs out his chest. He finds himself channeling her energy easily, getting a feel of her. “Teme, what do you want?! Better start talking before you’ll be sorry, ‘ttebane!”

“Is this truly your new vessel?” Orochimaru asks, and it makes Naruto’s blood feel like tar in his veins. “It makes no sense. But I suppose killing in the context of reaching a brighter future was something that you always took in consideration. It was that kind of mentality that saved you from completely giving into the Kyūbi, wasn’t it?”

Naruto doesn’t even think of the words before he says them. They come from a deep, fiery place in the depths of his chest, that believes in his mother, believes in her memories, believes in her heart.

“You’re wrong!” Naruto yells, with such conviction that it almost makes him tremble. He’s not going to let him disrespect Kushina, no fucking way. But he can’t fight him, can’t drag Sasuke and the girl into this argument that’s supposed to be between Kushina and him. “You’re lucky I don’t come over there and beat you like I would a carpet on my stairs, ‘ttebane!”

Orochimaru doesn’t even flinch, only clicks his tongue, and Naruto can’t help but feel like he’s wavering.

“I am not looking for a fight today.” He says, like it’s the most casual thing in the world. Like he’s just some other shinobi who’s turning down a sparring session. “As much as I would love to stay and catch up with you, Kushina, you are not of my interest, and neither is the child you decided to bring with you. No, I want  _ her.” _

Naruto’s eyes widen slightly, looking over his shoulder to see Sasuke holding onto her defensively, a look in his eye. Whatever the reason, the other boy knows something that he doesn’t.

“Like hell you do.” Sasuke says, his voice strong, solid. He’s furrowing his brows, and he can’t tell if the drop that rolls down the side of his face is the water still dripping from the marsh incident or if it’s sweat, but he looks scornful. “You only want her for her power. And I’m not wrong, am I, Orochimaru?”

“Feeling proud of yourself, fledgling?” Orochimaru retorts, and Naruto has the clench his fists until he can feel his growing nails dig into his palms. “A unique ability to heal others via biting her, and the prestigious blood of the Uzumaki.” He then sets his eyes on Naruto. “A member of your clan, Kushina. Perhaps through my research, it can be revived through her.”

Naruto’s heart stops.

The boy slowly turns his head to look at her again, the girl’s body beaten and bitten all over. Her hair— it… it’s practically the same shade as Kaoru’s. Her chakra, while he isn’t that good in sensing, felt familiar. And that ability to transfer healing in such a way, if it’s true…

(  **_“We’ll meet again.”_ ** he had said all those years ago, and here she is. )

Naruto teeth grind together, his gums becoming sore from having them grow, the insides of his mouth tasting like iron. No, it doesn’t matter that she’s Kaoru. Hell, it doesn’t even matter that she’s an  _ Uzumaki— _ she’s a victim, who’s been taken advantage of, and if he doesn’t win this she will continue to only know of pain.

_ ‘A member of your clan.’ _

_ ‘Through my research, it can be revived through her.’ _

_ “Teme…” _ Naruto growls out. To hell with be careful. To hell with feeling fear. He takes the straps of his rucksack, chucks the whole thing somewhere, only has the large scroll he carries at the base of his spine. “Fuck your immortality plan. When I’m done with you, you’re never coming back to this world again, ‘ttebayo.”

 

* * *

 

The side of Sakura’s teacup cracks.

She juts her lower lip out in thought. Could it be that it’s just old? Maybe. The Dango Shop has been in business for as long as she could remember; even as a small child just learning about the world around her, the shop’s inviting energy drew her in. In fact, it still does, and she finds herself being in here more often than not. She would love to come here with her team.

Sakura doesn’t know how long it’s been. Two weeks at the very least, maybe even a whole month. As soon as the word of Sasuke and Naruto’s disappearances got out, her sensei had ruffled her hair, told her that he’d be back soon with them and to play nice with the other teams Konoha was bound to put her one. In reality, she doesn’t really stick to just one; only joins whichever needs more power. For the most part, she trains under someone real special.

After testing, she was officially declared a Senju. It’s… weird. One moment you’re just an average kunoichi who happens to be really smart, the next you’re a member of one of the most powerful clans in Konoha, a descent of the Shodaime Hokage Senju Hashirama, and have a recessive gene that gives you the rare ability of mokuton. It sounds like a movie, and after getting paraded around by the village, it feels like one, too.

It was obvious she needed a teacher, and the only other Senju alive who has mokuton is Tsunade-sama, a direct descendant; she’s the Shodaime’s daughter. It was not easy getting her to the village, and Sakura has questioned her a few times over her senseless gambling addiction, but she lives up to the title of ‘Sannin.’ Thanks to her, Sakura has done so much progress, and people have their rumors that she may very well be just like, if not more than, Tsunade-sama. She’s supposed to feel happy about that— and she does! But…

The only people she really wants to impress, really wants to prove herself to after being useless for so long… are gone.

“Hey, you okay, Sakura?” Kiba asks, and Akamaru is barking at her leaking cup. He then gasps, pulling it away from her. “Whoa! You didn’t cut yourself, did you? Must be old or something,”

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Sakura says as Kiba calls over one of the workers, literally demanding a new cup, and she has to smile. In the Academy, she didn’t pay attention to him much, and he didn’t pay attention to her. In fact, she thinks that now that they’re out of school, they’re becoming more connected. “Just… thinking, I guess.”

“Oh,” He says, and his eyes look thoughtful. “Is it about… y’know… your team?”

Everyone else refrains from mentioning them. Kiba never does.

“… It’s been a while.” Sakura says. She’s not dumb— Naruto and Sasuke’s disappearance is something deeper. While she walked around in the closed off parts of the Hokage Tower with Tsunade-sama, she would hear rumors about them being missing-nin. And people do acknowledge their absence. but would say mean things like  _ ‘it was about time’ _ or ‘ _ good riddance’. _  She hates it.

The boy across from her sighing in a exaggerated fashion as he puts his chin on his palm.

“I hear you.” Kiba says solemnly. “My ma? She’s been worried sick about Kakashi. The guy comes back from one mission only to go back on another one. He doesn’t even visit anymore. What happened to my sweet nephew?”

Sakura chuckles. Kakashi, up till now, seemed like such an… enigma. It was only until she landed a spot on Team 8 that she learned more about the man through a different lense, and now he served as a common interest between the two kids. To Sakura, he’s a mentor, someone to look up to. To Kiba, he’s someone who was there growing up, he’s family.

“I just hope they’re okay and aren’t doing anything stupid.” Sakura mutters, and it carries much more weight than she anticipated.

_ Please don’t do anything stupid. _

 

* * *

 

Okay. Maybe this was a stupid decision.

Orochimaru isn’t the same as he was back then. In Kushina’s mind, in the memories of the past, he was a gifted shinobi with enough power to take down waves of enemies with his strong ninjutsu and powerful summons. But he was decent— he had morals, he still would hold back on his comrades, was still loyal to his village despite himself. But now? Naruto can’t describe him. Twisted? Bloodthirsty? IS there another word strong enough?

Naruto isn’t fast. He’s sore, he’s tired, he’s already been through one fight and here’s another. Orochimaru is a man who’s not entirely human, not even breaking a sweat as he darts out of the bamboo tree he has just fucking melted into, flying towards him. The scroll on his back is inviting him, saying ‘please, use me!’ But he can’t, doesn’t even get the fucking chance to. And there’s no drawing out the bijū’s chakra, either, his finesse less than his mother’s.

Naruto tries to dodge the other as best as he can, the kunai in the man’s mouth cutting through his side, and he bites back the cry that wants to rip through his throat. The blade Naruto has on hand is dull and flaky, and he curses himself for not thinking quality over quantity as he shreds Orochimaru’s tailing leg, his blood being the only proof that the man is still human.

Orochimaru, however, doesn’t stop. His body hits the ground, absorbing the impact, and the force of him slithering against the grass has it burning in his wake. Naruto just barely manages to twist himself in a way that their kunai meet with a sharp metallic sound, sparks flying and his spine still intact.

“Good,” Orochimaru speaks around the tool in his mouth, and Naruto snaps into a spin to face the man when he backs off, doing a somersault before his hands fly into hand signs at a speed Naruto’s eyes can’t keep up with. “But not good enough.  _ Fūton: Great Breakthrough!” _

_ “Fūton: Gale Suction!” _ Naruto shouts back, feeling like his arms are about to blow the fuck off as chakra shreds through his system, trying to eat at the sudden wind and avoid destroying the land even further, but the leftover force alone sends him flying into a bamboo tree. Blood rips out of his throat, legs not even coming out to support him.

He doesn’t know where Sasuke is, only saw him run with Karin, and he’s thankful. Because he doesn’t know what he’d do if Orochimaru wanted to ‘play’ with Sasuke first.

“Well, well. I certainly wasn’t expecting this. I knew there was something strange since I first laid eyes on you.” Orochimaru says, and Naruto heaves himself onto his feet. Not a scratch, he hisses to himself. His attack had more damage on the  _ grass _ than on the person he used them on.

“The Crimson Devil of Konohagakure, was it? Yes, you are much like her. Down to the chakra signature.”

Well, Naruto was never good at acting anyway.

“I’m her damn son, you piece of shit,” Naruto breathes, all talk and very little to back it up. He knows he’s nearing his limit— right arm is next to busted, left on its way there. There’s gashes and open wounds all over his body, blood leaking through his dark clothes.

Orochimaru is speaking again, but he can’t hear, the blood rushing in his head too much. Naruto watches as he tilts his head back, and if he wasn’t as far as he is it would be the perfect moment to show up and strike. A long, shining katana with a pitch black blade surfaces, and Naruto widens his eyes like it’ll help with anything.

Soon the man is rushing forward again, and Naruto’s body is on fire, unwilling to obey his want to fucking move. His arms are pulsing, his vision is getting all tethered at the edges, bones popping as he puts one outstretched hand over the other. He doesn’t pay attention to how his arms are an angry red, blood breaking through here and there. He can do this.

_ “Kusanagi no Tsurugi!” _ Orochimaru yells. The world slows down, like it’s just he and Naruto in it. He can do this. This pain, this agony his body feels— it will be absolutely nothing compared to the one he’ll feel if he lets the girl get captured, lets Sasuke get killed. But something cuts through his warped sense of time, shocking fire.

_ Oh fuck no. _

Orochimaru’s face gets tacked with all kinds of arrows, with their own explosive tags, and suddenly time is moving quicker than Naruto would ever have wanted it to. A sudden burst of adrenaline to keep him going, Orochimaru’s sword drops out of his mouth, the tags are lighting up, he rips one off and plasters it onto Orochimaru’s shoulder but Orochimaru has violet flames alighting his fingertips and they’re driven right against Naruto’s bleeding stomach and—

There is no blast. Only darkness.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke catches Naruto in time, though the force of the explosion sends both parties flying in opposite directions, the ground giving in underneath his feet as he skids to a stop.

He had sent Karin and everything else away, unable to cope with of not even trying to help his dearest friend, the only person he’s ever cared about as deeply as he does. Of Naruto  _ dying,  _ alone to a madman, and hell being raised on earth. Even now, his eyes widen at Naruto’s limp body, Sasuke’s hand shaking as he puts it on Naruto’s cheek, his other arm trying to hold him as gently as possible.

“Naruto…? Naruto, fucking hell,” Sasuke breathes. He looks absolutely lifeless, Sasuke can’t even take it, only thinks  _ ‘nononono’ _ as he puts his ear to the other’s chest, nearly lets out a sob when he feels the faint rise and fall, hears the timid beat in his chest. He even minds his head as he lets the blonde onto the ground. “You’re fine, you’re going to be fine,”

An ugly, wet sound grabs his attention, and Sasuke can feel anger coursing through his veins, his sheer will alone enough to have him hauling ass and faces the enemy. Of course he couldn’t go down— after observing the devastation around him, it only makes sense that some measly bombs wouldn’t be enough.

“This is becoming ridiculous…” Orochimaru says, coming from out of a tree, and Sasuke closes his eyes— a dangerous game to play, but he can feel the chakra flow picking up into his eyes. “Tell me, child, what do you hope to do?”

Sasuke’s fingers reach up to brush the petals of the flower that was gifted to him. They’re already drying out. He opens his eyes, and the other man’s widen a considerable fraction.

“The Sharingan…” Orochimaru says, and while Sasuke does feel himself tensing at that, he continues to move, because he can’t afford to lock up now. He readies his stance. “It seems as though Itachi didn’t do a good job exterminating the clan, did he?”

Oh gods, he’s going to  **wish** he did.

Soon they’re colliding, fist meeting fist, shin meeting shin, and Orochimaru is inhumanely fast but his eyes are even faster, and Sasuke takes advantage of the giant gash when Orochimaru’s shoulder suffered a direct blow from an explosive tag Naruto put in it, twirling the kunai in his hand and forcing it into flesh and bone, trying to tear the appendage away from its body, but Orochimaru makes haste and cuts a sharp line up his side, diving into the ground.

He then rises, and Sasuke switches to his bow, pulling two arrows free with explosives and sends them flying in a flash bang. A harsh wind cuts into him, but he forces chakra into his feet, staying planted where he is before his own hands fly into his seals, blaze rupturing from his chest out. But Orochimaru emerges from the flames, a metallic sound behind him and Sasuke holds his breath as he bends back as far as he can, the Sannin’s katana meeting its master’s opposite shoulder, and blood drips onto Sasuke’s shirt but he can’t find himself to care because the adrenaline has him reeling, letting his back hit the ground before forcing his feet into the other’s gut and sending him flying at an angle.

Sasuke uses the momentum to flip right onto his feet again, staggering, but he’s still here, still standing against the vertigo.

_ I can feel it, _ rings the man’s voice in his head, makes Sasuke seize up as the sword moves on its own accord, making its mark on his thigh.  _ The bitterness. The hate. You left Konohagakure, didn’t you? They hurt you, didn’t they? We share a common interest. Stick with me, Uchiha, and we shall burn it all to the ground. _

This man is out to destroy Konohagakure. And for all the pain Sasuke has suffered, for all the lies told and the blood shed and the pedestal of glass he was put on after he was left the only one alive, Sasuke knows what he wants from it.

He’s not going to destroy Konohagakure. The world needs change, revolution: and Konohagakure will be the first in the chain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- in canon im not sure where kushina was during the second shinobi war, but in this verse she was active when the fighting picked up. my hc is that she had enough control to enter a 2-3 tail state thanks to mito’s guidance and chakra control so that was useful for turning the tides
> 
> \- you bet kiba tells sakura stories abt how kakashi would play w/ him in childhood
> 
> \- ALSO TSUNADE IS IN THE VILLAGE… perhaps this will change things…
> 
> \- the fight’s gonna drag on a wee bit longer into the next chap and i am Sorry but it’s for plot reasons i swear sknfds 
> 
> \- bonus: a [casual hamako i drew](https://66.media.tumblr.com/a49e72b3b1f8a76bf802e68c67500e5e/tumblr_pgke5gZ6Jc1xcxpypo1_1280.png)
> 
> THANKS FOR READING things have been getting busy this week but hopefully i’ll still be able to update t.b.a.u at least <3 see yall!


	12. meadows - pt iii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they grow one person stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO AN UPDATE…. i meant to upload this as soon as i was done, but i may not be updating my other fic like i’m supposed to today, so i still wanted to post smth on wednesday. i’ll try to get an update in but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. sorry! hope you guys enjoy!

_Naruto wakes up where there’s nothing but sand, for miles and miles. He immediately scrambles up, hands patting all over himself— nothing. Nothing hurts, there’s no gashes, his clothes aren’t torn or anything._

**_Oh no._ **

_“No fucking way,” Naruto breathes, hands coming to pull at his face, at his hair. Everything’s in tact, but there’s no strain on him, he’s not out of breath, and he can even hear the sand shift. Before, he couldn’t even hear a person that’s only five feet away from him. “Am I_ **_dead?!”_ **

_“Not quite.” Says a voice, immediately recognizable as he turns on his heel. Hamako is sitting on a dune, the red waterfall that is his hair flowing where the wind blows. He looks unconcerned, as if it’s not weird to be sitting in the middle of the fucking desert— actually, why is it a desert, he’s never been to a desert—. “Orochimaru… he placed a seal on you.”_

_Naruto clenches his fists. So that’s what that was— he put a seal on him, just to keep him out of the way. It infuriates him. “So what?! Isn’t there a way to take it off or something?!”_

_“Usually, the Kyūbi would take care of it. After all, if one were to tap with your chakra or his, he’s just burn it away.” Kushina says, his mother sparkling into existence. “However, the seal that Orochimaru used… it was the Gogyō Fūin, a seal that disturbs the flow of chakra. The abrupt stop made you pass out.”_

_“Usually, in such cases, there would be a fūinjutsu specialist that would try undoing the seal, as it could mean trouble. Especially for someone like you. However…” Hamako says, and his eyes look all sad and oh man Naruto doesn’t have time for this! “You’re the only fūinjutsu user you have, and you’re… well… here.”_

_Naruto hisses a breath through his teeth, his hands running through his hair as he paces across the sand. So there’s virtually no way to remove the seal, his skill in fūinjutsu is mediocre at best, and he can’t do anything when he’s knocked the fuck out._

_He almost thinks that this is it. He’s going to stay here, in his own thoughts, for god knows how long. But then Sasuke comes into his mind, the girl that harbors Kaoru comes into his mind. The last time Naruto saw Sasuke, he was jumping right into the fray, even when he saw that Naruto was breaking and couldn’t defeat the enemy._

_Sasuke is fighting that… that monster, all by himself, and Naruto is just here. He won’t stand for this._

_“… I don’t need to break the seal,” Naruto says, gears turning as he looks at the two of them once more. Last time he was here, he was making a major decision. Will it be like this always? “All I need is a shock.”_

_“A shock,” Hamako says, catching on quickly. “Like the one the Uchiha boy gave you earlier when you flunked the jutsu?”_

_Naruto is not about to pop off on himself. That would be a whole new level of meta. But he does furrow his brow, jut his lip out. “Sasuke and that girl are in trouble. I need to wake up. I’ll deal with the Kyūbi not getting off its lazy ass later, ‘ttebayo!”_

_“But Naruto,” His mother says, the worry clear on her face, and Naruto’s heart aches a bit. Not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about how much she deserves. “You’re already injured, your body is at its limit. You’re still just a boy. If you push yourself—“_

_“I know, kaasan. I know you’re worried,” He says softly, looking down at the sand. It whirls, it moves, it keeps going. “But if I stay here… I won’t go to Uzushio. I would be going back on my promise for change. I won’t be the only one to die. I have people to protect, too.”_

_Kushina’s eyes widen at that, and Naruto’s not sure how all this works, but he can see the gloss coming over them, the brims beginning to hold tears. She still smiles, even if it’s watery, and comes to a stand._

_“‘ttebane… you really are just like your father.” Kushina says, and something locks up in Naruto’s throat as she walks over to him, her hair like fire trailing behind her. She reaches for him, the hand hesitant. “Are you sure about this?” Naruto gives a firm nod, turning his back._

_“Stop, stop,” Hamako says, and Naruto has to look over his shoulder to see him getting up from his seat on the sand, dusting himself off. Kushina scrunches her nose as he crosses his arms. “If anyone is giving chakra, it’ll be me. After all, Kushina, you have to stay with him till…”_

**_Till…?_ **

_“Listen, I don’t have time for this! Someone give me chakra already!” Naruto whines, despite now wanting to stay because till? What does he mean_ **_till?_ ** _But Kushina watches Hamako as the man gently pushes her hand away, firmly planting his own on Naruto’s shoulder._

_“It won’t be enough to give you an energy boost,” Hamako says as Naruto faces forward. “The seal would prevent any chakra from really escaping anyway. But it will be enough to get you on your feet and saving your little Uchiha.”_

_“Teme,”_

_“Oi. That’s no way to talk to yourself.” Hamako says, and he can practically hear the smile on his face. The sound of the water and the smell of salt washes over him, and he watches as waves rise above the sand dunes. A bright warmth is on his shoulder, and Naruto has never imagined there could be chakra that feels so… rich. “I know you can do this, Naruto. Even with your flaws, you’re still me, still your parents’ child. Go on and keep your promise.”_

_The sea is gushing in, everything roaring to life, and water is pooling and then swells, covering Naruto up, but he’s unafraid. He’s only seen the sea once with his own eyes, but it is still welcomed, it is still a part of him._

_And so is Sasuke._

 

* * *

 

Orochimaru still doesn’t let up. Even after Sasuke uses as much chakra as he can without killing himself, the wires cutting into his hands as he grips them tight and lets fire break loose along the line, Orochimaru survives. Sasuke’s breathing comes in ragged pants, and the only reason he’s still standing is because of the tree that has his back.

The area around them is nothing but soot and smoke, whatever signs of life there were before it now gone. The path from Sasuke to the snake Sannin is clear, no place to hide when the man stretches out his own mouth to a sickening degree, letting himself come out anew. Sasuke’s never thought about how gross snakes are for shedding, but this entire fight has him hating the species in general.

“Your eyes, boy….” Orochimaru says, lips curling up into a smile as he kicks away the skin he’s been wearing like a suit. “I didn’t expect them to be this powerful at this early stage of your life. Tell me, did seeing your precious friend on the brink of death give you the tomoe you needed?”

Sasuke bares his teeth, curling his tired fists. It would be dumb to fight now, because he can barely move and he’s got no way to absorb any more energy. The Sannin lets out a chuckle, vile and sticky, makes his insides turn uncomfortably over themselves.

“Forget about the Uzumaki girl. No, I want _you,_ little Uchiha.” He says, bringing his hands together. Sasuke wants to move, to run, to do something— _ANYTHING,_ because he can feel the absolute want, the bloodlust, bile’s in his throat but his knees are buckling and his body trembles until he realizes he’s been paralyzed.

Tears sting at his eyes, watches in horror and Orochimaru’s fingers make another sign.

He doesn’t want to die here. The girl he had been carrying is far away but still alone, and Naruto’s got more than just one foot in the grave. He hasn’t seen Itachi yet, hasn’t fulfilled his vows, the pendant and bracelet that belonged to his parents are heavier than ever. This man in front of him looks like he wants to devour Sasuke, and he can’t do anything. Orochimaru’s neck is tensile, moving up off of his body in a grotesque form. In a flash, he’s surging towards Sasuke, sharp teeth revealing themselves and _this is it—_

Just short of Sasuke’s throat, Orochimaru’s eyes widen, and he chokes.

 _“Teme,”_ Sasuke hears, the growl far but so so familiar, and all the air escapes his lungs as his eyes quickly catch the flash of red and blonde colliding. Naruto’s hands are gripping tight around the extension of Orochimaru’s neck, and the Sannin forces out a cough. “I’m going to wring your damn neck!”

“This… is ridiculous!” Orochimaru strains out, and the trance breaks, Sasuke’s heart beats once more and blood is rushing through his veins as his eyes force themselves to move— the blade, Kusanagi, is lying on dead grass and Sasuke throws himself towards it, taking it hard by the hilt and letting out a cry as he swings it.

( He doesn’t want to kill, doesn’t want this to be either them or Orochimaru, but it is and he needs to protect the only light in his life. )

The memory of slit throats and blood spray taints his eyes, his hands no longer his own but Itachi’s, the victim not being Orochimaru but his mother, his father, his _clan._ Pain, agony, they surround him like a cloak, suffocating him. He’s in the compound, his body not his, and oh god _what the_ **_fuck_ ** _has he done and why did he do it—_

And then it’s over.

His eyes are unfocused as the looks at the grey sky, lightning running across the clouds. The sword isn’t Itachi’s, it’s Orochimaru’s, and now his. The rest of the man’s neck falls, his head making a thump sound as it hits the ground, and Sasuke as to put his all into moving again, like a machine that has been out of commission for years. He puts his fingers to his lips one more time, sets fire to the Sannin’s head before staggering back. His back hits a warm body, arms wrapping around him as his breathing quickens, knuckles white around the katana’s hilt as he brings a hand over his eyes.

“I’ve got you,” Naruto mutters, his voice raspy, but relief is all Sasuke can feel against the burning ache coming from his neck, against his brain trying to eat him, and he can feel Naruto’s calloused hand on his forehead. “You’re okay, Sasuke. You’re okay.”

And just like that, he’s gone.

 

* * *

 

Naruto has to pop in a soldier pill, some feeling returning to him as he hoists Sasuke up in his arms again, surprised to see that the sword is still gripped in his hand—he’ll need it later, the bow doesn’t suit Sasuke’s fighting style, he thinks. They’ve lost most of their weapons today.

As he walks away from the scene, he doesn’t notice the stray snakes slithering back from where they came.

 

* * *

 

“What the hell happened here?!” Shikaku exclaims, blinking. He took the words right out of Kakashi’s mouth, his own eye widening as it tries to take in as much of the scene as possible.

At the border, the marsh was… well. Not so much of a marsh— there was no land anymore, just chunks. As if a typhoon had passed through. From there, Kakashi was drawn to Nogu, only to see grown men crying their eyes out with their broken bones and black eyes, talking about The Crimson Devil. One of them— Seiji, he remembers— told his team that two kids had raided the village. Deep in the forest, there’s soot and fallen trees everywhere. The rain is pouring, as if nature is trying to balm the wound.

“This is madness…” Inochi says in disbelief, and Kakashi sniffs the air. Shibi walks forward, dropping to his knees and feeling at the dirt.

“Everyone, fan out.” Kakashi commands, and they do. “Let us know if you find anything.”

“It seems that the battle was recent.” He says, and Kakashi furrows his brows. Not that he believes Naruto and Sasuke _actually_ raided the village, but the ashes and burnt greenery are definitely caused by fire, and Sasuke definitely has more than enough of it. But he’ll need more information, he thinks, as he walks towards a fallen tree.

The cut is clean. The work of fūton. Jutsu must’ve been a B-rank at least. The area of destruction over all seems to be contained, as if whoever was fighting was trying to minimize the damage. The rain is making hard to make sense of anything, his smell being tampered with.

“Senpai,” Yamato says a few feet away from him behind a bush, his own brows knitted together. He’s reaching into his back pouch, taking out some gloves. “I think you should come see this.”

Kakashi has to force himself to walk at an acceptable pace, ignoring the beat of his heart. Rounding the bush, he furrows his brow, getting on one knee. Clothes. A full set, too, torn with blood on them. A weight is settling itself in Kakashi’s stomach. If just clothes can look this bad, what’s to say about the person who was wearing them, and what happened that they felt like taking them off?

“Take them. They may lead us to who really messed this place up,” Kakashi says, and Yamato gives him a tentative look. The man obviously sees through Kakashi’s want to deny the possibility of Sasuke and Naruto doing such a thing, but Kakashi is grateful that he says nothing, only nods.

“There’s something over here, too,” Shibi says, standing among the wrecked trees. “Quickly. The rain is washed most of it away.”

Kakashi gives Yamato a pat on the shoulder, biting his lip behind his mask as he rises to his feet again, walking over.

Blood. So much of it that even the rain can’t erase it, as it’s getting soaked into the ground. Kakashi’s heartbeat picks up tenfold as he gets down on one knee, sniffing at the area. It’s sick, makes him want to vomit. The blood’s an amalgamation, but his brain tries to sort it out.

“... AB, B. I smell something like poison, but it doesn’t seem to affect me.” Kakashi says, gaze fixated on the amount spilled. His students are those exact blood types, they were here, and they… they had fought someone, and took a beating. Because it’s still running down the tree from the rain, he’ll have to assume it was fairly recent, and he doesn’t know what to think.

Kakashi backs up, taking a kunai and slicing his hand before he slams it on the ground. From the seal, his ninken Pakkun, Ūhei, and Akino pop out, and Pakkun sticks out his tongue.

“Piu…. well, this is a mess and a half….” Pakkun grumbles, taking in the scene around him before looking up at Kakashi, face as grumpy looking as ever. “What’s going on, Kakashi?”

“This blood.” He answers, motioning to the base of the tree. “It’s got a pretty strong scent. And while my nose certainly is a lot, I’m still human. I want you to see if you can pick up a scent, maybe have a lead.”

“Naruto and Sasuke, yes?” Akino says, sophisticated and poised. “Do you think they did this? Certainly it’s a bit much for two kids who didn’t even make it to their first year being genin.”

“It’s hard to imagine anything that’s going on with them, to be frank.” Shibi says, putting his hands in his pockets. Kakashi can feel his chest tighten. It’s not like Rin and Obito— will he cut himself some slack because he was a child? Not quite. But as a jōnin— as a _teacher,_ he knows that there was only so much a boy can do. However, he’s not a boy anymore, he’s a man who has lived longer than he ever dreamed he would, and he is supposed to be the mentor.

He’s supposed to protect them.

Ūhei sniffs at the blood, then the air, and Kakashi nearly jumps when the dog nods towards a particular direction. It’s no use dwelling on the past, just think about the future, and move forward. “Inochi, Yamato, come with me. Shikaku, Shibi, go back and handle the villagers.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Shikaku says, putting his hands up. “Kakashi… those villagers… they said Sasuke and Naruto raided them, didn’t they? And with this happenin’... you know we’re going have to put this in the report, right? We have to send one now. There’s no way around it.”

“...” In truth, he was dreading this. Kakashi had been letting himself be driven too much by emotion, by the prospect of losing Sasuke and Naruto, that he didn’t want to do anything that would put them in such a dangerous position. But he, at the end of the day, is supposed to be a Konohagakure shinobi. Someone who’s supposed to live for the interest of the village.

Kakashi’s grip tightens. “Do what you must. But keep in mind that we still don’t know if they’re the cause of this.”

That’s all he says before following his pack, Inochi and Yamato trailing behind him.

 

* * *

 

When Karin wakes up again, she’s not in her home. She’s not with her mother, she’s not with Kusagakure’s shinobi, she’s not in a forest. She wakes up in a bed, in an unfamiliar place, and immediately sits up with her heart beating in her ears. On the desk next to her are her cracked glasses, and she puts them on.

Her eyes catch sight of someone stepping out of the bathroom, shirtless, and squeaks as her hands fly over her eyes.

“M-Miss, oh my god, I’m so sorry—“

“Oi, who are you calling ‘miss’, ‘ttebayo? I’m a man.” The person tuts, except it’s more like a wince, the boy digging through a large bag. Karin breathes through her nose, letting her hands fall to see the span of his back, and it makes her eyes widen.

Bruises and nasty cuts everywhere, his skin is an angry red, and he’s even hissing with every movement. His chakra is unnatural, not so much fluctuating but instead coming in highs and lows, going from hot to cold, and Karin can’t get an accurate feeling of who he is.

“You’re hurt,” Karin blurts out stupidly, and he pauses his search, looking over his shoulder. Strange looking, he is— his hair is an uneven balance between two colors, the back of his head blonde while the front is red. But what really draws her attention are those big, blue, bloodshot eyes, as if he’d been crying. “What happened…?”

“You were out for most of it,” He says, the boy turning back to his bag. “I don’t know if you remember me, but me and my buddy stopped those idiots who were harassing you. Some guy named Orochimaru wanted you, too, and we gave him a piece of our minds, ‘ttebayo.”

Karin blinks. It’s true— she remembers seeing him before, as well as the dark haired one. She frowns, bringing her knees up to her chest. If he and his friend are injured, it’s no wonder why they brought her along. The boy finally turns around, some supplies in hand, and she shrinks when she meets his gaze. But instead of yelling at her, or sneering at her, he only looks at her with soft eyes before he sits on the bed, the weight shifting.

“I know what you can do,” He says casually, and Karin’s eyes widen, heart stilling. “I’m not going to ask anything like that of you. I didn’t even want to check you without your permission, but I figured you don’t have anything life threatening anyway.”

“Why’d you save me, then?” Karin says before she can think, and the boy stares at her, his eyes looking like they’re searching for something in her soul.

“Because you’re a person.” He says, as simple as that, and Karin doesn’t know why but tears immediately form in her eyes. In with that, though, he smiles brightly, eyes crinkling and she feels like she’s in a dream. “I might need your help with something, though; can you wrap this around for me? My arms kind of hurt.”

Karin’s eyes are drawn to the mention, and she nearly chokes when she sees them. _‘Kind of’_ must be an understatement. She has no idea if he’s trying to be funny or put up a front, but he must be feeling more pain than he lets on. She nods slowly.

It’s silent as she works on patching him up, doing her best to mind his injuries. His body tenses and his breath hitches when she’s not careful enough, his leg bounces from impatience, and Karin wonders how a guy like him managed to take on Kusagakure’s shinobi headfirst. Maybe he’s also a shinobi, but she didn’t see him wear a hitai-ate.

Occasionally, Karin’s eyes drift towards the boy on the other bed. He was the one who had come after her, his arrows striking her captors, but not to kill. It looked like he didn’t _want_ to kill, and she wonders about his moral code. The men had grabbed her in a last minute effort to heal themselves to continue the fight, and it had made her pass out.

“Hey,” Karin says hesitantly, wrapping the boy’s abdomen now. He makes a noise of acknowledgement. “Your friend… is he okay?”

“Oh, totally!” He says confidently, perking up before slowly sagging his shoulders. She can’t what his face must look like. “I… he’s really strong, ‘ttebayo. He took care of you while I was fighting with Orochimaru. I fixed him up already, so you don’t have to worry. He’ll be fine.”

These are two boys who she just met. And already they’ve done more than they needed to.

The other boy starts to stir, brows knitting together, as if he had heard that they were talking about him. His eyes squeeze together as his arms span out, patting around, and the boy she had been wrapping up is immediately out of her hands, dashing to the other’s side.

“Sasuke!” He exclaims, wincing as he drops to his side, and Karin rushes towards him, helping him up. He gives her a shy smile, accepting it as she seats him on the bed. “Thanks,”

The boy—Sasuke, she knows now,— opens his eyes, and Naruto’s own immediately start sparkling. The whole ‘being gentle’ thing proves to be for naught, though, because then he’s throwing his arms around his friend, who only wheezes in response.

Karin doesn’t know what to feel. Doesn’t know what to think. She remembers how tall and huge the shinobi who had her in their custody were, how they used their power to lock her in a cage. She can’t imagine how powerful Orochimaru must’ve been to rough them up so bad, but here’s Naruto holding onto Sasuke like he hasn’t seen him in years, and Sasuke doesn’t wrap his arms around the other but his forehead’s in the crook of Naruto’s neck.

They’re just kids, just like her, with their own story.

She rubs at her arms, not knowing where to look, but Sasuke’s eyes find her. They’re… different from Naruto’s, dark and unreadable, unfocused. His chakra is… just as haywire as Naruto’s, but by the looks of it, the reason is completely different. It’s not as cold as she thought it would be, weak from his injuries but still present.

Sasuke makes a noise and the other boy pulls away, gently setting him down and fixing the covers over his friend. He hasn’t spoken a single word yet, and with how his eyes stare at nothing, he doesn’t seem like he plans to.

“Hey, hey, what’s your name?” Naruto asks, thankfully ending the silence. She can feel her face flush under his gaze, now ignited by his friend’s consciousness. “This is Sasuke, and I’m Naruto!”

“Karin,” She says, trying offer her best smile. Sasuke still isn’t focused on her, but she can’t help but be careful. It’s how she’s survived so long, really; just smile and accept. “Uzumaki Karin. I-It’s nice to meet the both of you, even if the circumstances aren’t so good,”

“Uzumaki,” Naruto says, and his eyes are kind as he smiles, and Karin could never hope— could never dream— of the next words that come out of his mouth. “Just like me, ‘ttebayo!”

“Really?” She asks, embarrassed about how surprised she sounds but also so, so curious, so happy, that someone seems to share to same blood as her. When people would hear the name _‘Uzumaki’_ , they’d be shocked, question her and telling her to prove it, even if she had no idea how to. “You— but I thought everyone died…?”

Naruto makes an uncharacteristically pained expression at that. There’s no way he could’ve had such a connection that would warrant that, she thinks— if he’s her age, he would’ve heard about it from his parents, a secondhand story. But he smiles once more.

“Hey, Karin, have you ever heard of Uzushiogakure?”

 

* * *

 

Naruto tells Karin everything. About her rise. About her fall. About her people. About the last Uzukage who _‘is an annoying brat but also me’_ , much of what he says lining up with her own dreams. They spend the entire afternoon talking about them, Sasuke ends up sleeping again.

Naruto tells Karin that he and Sasuke are wanted, for reasons she finds bullshit. He tells her that she can stay in the next town out of the Land of Meadows where she’ll be safe, or she can join them on the journey to Uzushiogakure but become a fugitive herself.

“... I’ll go.” She had said, feeling the most sure she’s ever been in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- orochimaru may not be dead but they stole his sword. legends
> 
> \- kakashi may be a ninja of konoha but… he’s trying his best
> 
> \- ik orochimaru’s blood is poisonous, but it seems that it’s only the case when it’s in a gaseous state, so that’s why it doesn’t affect kakashi
> 
> \- karin joins the party… yippee!
> 
> \- also ik karin was absent for most of these chapters but i promise she’ll be puttin in work 
> 
> they won’t be getting a break yet tho… it only gets tougher for them from here :’) will naruto solve his elemental ninjutsu problem? what will konoha think of the pursuit team’s report? will we see oro again? who ELSE is coming for our group? we’ll have to wait and see. also i should really have a twitter/tumblr for update thing huh ORZ see you next time!
> 
> EDIT: THANKS FOR OVER 100 KUDOS AND 1300+ HITS!!


	13. stakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naruto and his friends help a town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another update…. although to be honest this is kind of the equivalent to a filler chap, there are a dew important details here and there so….. hope you enjoy (insert eye emoji)

_ “What’s this for, mama?” Kushina asks, tilting her head as her legs swing. She may be older now, but her growth spurt has yet to happen, so her feet don’t quite reach even the tallest blade of grass. Her mother smiles, dipping the paintbrush into the jar— the ink is a deep red, probably tinged with blood judging by the cut on her mother’s hand. The people of Konohagakure find the practice disgusting, but the transcripts of the Uzumaki clan had always said that nothing bonds to skin greater than their blood. Weird, but she can’t complain. She gets free snacks to replenish her energy every time. _

_ “I heard from a certain sensei that you’re having trouble with your suiton.” Mama says, and Kushina puffs out her cheeks. Of  _ **_course_ ** _ Kohari-sensei would do this to her! Kushina’s starting to think that it’s a motherly thing to gossip about kids. “Ah, don’t make that face, Shina. You have two chakra natures and are just a genin, it’s not uncommon to struggle between them. I was the same way when I was younger.” _

_ Kushina juts her lower lip out, watching as her mother carefully paints on her skin. Fūinjutsu, her mother once told her, is a lot like handwriting; there are no carbon copies, and while you have tracing scrolls and whatnot, your style of sealing becomes something special to you. If you ask her, she prefers her mother’s handiwork most of all— it has flare, the sigils are pretty and the strokes unique in width. _

_ “This is a special kind of fūinjutsu,” Mama says, the intricate details reaching about half way up Kushina’s forearm. He mother turns her hand over, painting a circle and drawing the kanji for water. “See, the Uzumaki clan’s youth are always going through trials with their chakra. The elders knew of this, and wanted to remedy it; this is called **Uzumaki Fūinjutstu: Pathway.** It will help with channeling your chakra in a more concise form. Activate it with your chakra.” _

_ Kushina blinks. She then puts her hands together in a basic sign, sending a pulse, watching how the ink of the seal burns away with her chakra. She attempts to wipe at it; there’s no smudge, but that’s not surprising. What is, though, is that the skin is slightly raised, as if it’s become a part of her. _

_ “You know wind very well, what with you being so fleeting.” Mama says with a cheeky smile. “But this should help you with your water control. We can do a small exercise; let’s go visit Mikoto and her family, okay? We can use their ponds to practice making water spheres.” _

_ Kushina knows well why she actually proposed going to the Uchiha Compound. After all, the way her family was regarded in the village due to her being a jinchūriki, and the Uzumaki being wiped out on the island… it’s so different from how it would’ve been in Uzushiogakure. But she’ll teach them, once she becomes Hokage. _

_ “Kay,” Kushina says, getting up from her spot, and slipping on her shoes.” _

 

* * *

 

_ “Suiton: Raindrop,” _ Naruto whispers. He can feel as his chakra runs along the designs on his left arm, where the water kanji is on his palm. On his right, there’s a wind kanji— he has no idea if he had to change the formula or not, but the worst that can happen is that he’ll lose an arm. No biggie.

Slowly and gently, the water encapsulates a small group of fish, and Naruto feels like bouncing around when the ball of liquid begins to rise out of the rest of the body, the fish swimming around in it. It’s wobbly; nothing like the dense, inescapable ball the Water Prison technique brings, and the water sloshes around on his palm, but it doesn’t lose form. Slowly, he makes his way towards his friends, smiling widely. Sasuke’s already got the fire ready, sitting on a rock that overlooks the lake.

“Breakfast is here!” Naruto chirps, and Karin claps for him while Sasuke digs around in his bag— it’s getting more empty as time passes, and they haven’t been able to do a restock. He takes out the thinnest blade he has, giving it to Karin. “Also, the seals work! Maybe it can help you guys, too!”

“I guess having a bunch of memories has its perks, huh?” Karin smiles, and she looks so much like Kaoru. She isn’t her, the same way Naruto isn’t exactly Hamako, but he knows himself. Soon enough they’ll be calling each other siblings. Naruto chuckles, slowly bringing the bubble towards Karin, where she reaches in and does what she needs to.

“You’re dripping, you dummy.” Sasuke says, and Naruto juts his lip out. Of course he’d point out the obvious. “We’re not going to wait for you to dry before you put your clothes on, you know. We shouldn’t even have stopped to eat; we should take it on the road, cover as much ground as we can.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on down here and eat your food. Or else I’ll eat it for you,” Naruto teases as Karin puts the fish over the fire, and Sasuke rolls his eyes, slipping off the rock with something in hand and sitting next to him. And for a while, between the cooking and the eating, everything is quiet. The only sound is the wind rustling through the tall pine trees and the sound of birds singing. Naruto takes a moment to assess the people around him.

If Naruto has one thing to thank his whole jinchūriki situation for, it’s his ability to heal practically overnight. Not that he really slept— the soldier pill should be considered fucking illegal for how much energy it supplies—,  but he got to watch as his cuts closed up, bruises lightening, and worked off as much of Orochimaru’s seal as he could. He isn’t 100%, but he’s good to move again.

Sasuke is, by far, less lucky than Naruto. He has a limp, and tires out easily, but knows they can’t stay, and Naruto knows he’d never leave Sasuke behind. He still feels helpless, trying to think of ways to speed up the healing process. Maybe he should invest in learning some practical medical techniques, maybe do something like… healing water. That can be a thing, right?

Karin’s better than both of them, having sustained only minor injuries, and Naruto has no idea what her skills are but he’ll have to wait till they’re in a safer place. He doesn’t even know her chakra nature, and but whatever it is, they’ll find a way to make something awesome. She personally designated herself to carry Sasuke’s bag for him.

They’re in a new set of clothes, comfortable now that they aren’t all black. The fashion in Kusagakure is similar to Uzushiogakure; kimono, fishnets, obi. But they’re certainly dull with their colors; the brightest he’s seen is a cream yellow. Naruto twirls one of the wild locks of his hair as Sasuke opens up the map. It seems sleeping helped him with his mood, but he’ll have to keep an eye on him.

“Okay, so we’ll need a change of plans.” Sasuke says as soon as he finishes eating, tipping the brush in ink before crossing out part of the path they had established. Usually, Naruto would scold him a little, but after Orochimaru… well. “We can’t afford to keep going through the Land of Meadows. We already made ourselves known back in Mogu, and messed the place up just a bit further from the village. There’s no doubt that Kakashi’s team is going to get a whiff of us and pursue. It’s bad enough that we’ve stayed at the inn.”

“This is crazy,” Karin murmurs around a bite, shifting to sit on her heels. “An entire pursuit team of elite jōnin… are you guys important to the village?”

“Only for our powers and stuff. Just like you.” Naruto says, trying not to sound too sad about it. Not that he is, but… he does wish things had been different. After all, his parents gave their all for the village; and they did nothing. “... I should probably get it out of the way that I’m a jinchūriki with the Kyūbi,”

“And I’m the last Uchiha.” Sasuke says, and although Naruto knows that’s not entirely true, it may as well be. “With you being the last ‘pure’ Uzumaki as far as they know, plus your abilities and the fact we attacked your ‘guards’ could warrant a squad just for you. That’s two groups we have to worry about.”

Karin frowns at that, only looks down at the map, and Naruto laments that he can’t hold her hand or something. So he hums really loudly to get her attention. It surprises her, of course, but she only smiles afterward.

“Don’t worry. If we can take Orochimaru by the skin of our teeth, we can take on a bunch of Kusa knuckleheads.” Naruto reassures. Sasuke clears his throat, drawing his attention in again. “Oh! So how are we gonna get out of here?”

“The only way we can.” Sasuke says, and Naruto deadpans. Dramatic, he thinks, truly is Sasuke’s style. “... We’re going through the Land of Earth’s mountain range.”

Okay. So. Naruto’s had a lot of dumb ideas (and he means a lot), so they rarely surprise him. Except this time.

As Hamako, he knew the relations Konohagakure had with the other villages. As her ally, it was essential. Iwagakure, the hidden village of the Land of Earth, is one to be feared; even since the dawn of the rising nations, they have hated Konohagakure— through text, it is said they’re practically had at least a foot in most wars, and Naruto really has to blame the lack of new Kage. While they do put a lot of their faith in the mountains to keep enemies at bay, there’s no doubt going to be shinobi scattered around in it.

“So suicide, basically?” Naruto says, and Sasuke hits him on the shoulder. Karin taps her chin, clearly thinking.

“No one would imagine we’d go straight into enemy territory.” Sasuke says, as if it actually is a viable reason to go. “Or even want to step foot into the mountains, for the very same reason that it’s too dangerous.”

“Right here,” Karin taps on the map with the end of the stick she used as a skewer, and Naruto tries to make sense of it all. “Just before the mountain range. Kusagakure’s… been having a civil war. I know, because I’ve been there as… med staff.”

Naruto suppresses a shiver down his spine as she expresses a slight distress, and he can see Sasuke looking at her from the corner of his eye how concerned he is. Karin sighs, a hand coming to the back of her neck. “If we want to go into the mountain range, we’re going to go through a war-ridden zone.”

“A civil war?” Naruto asks in disbelief. Kusagakure… well, not that they had the best allyship with Konohagakure, they were still allies. To think that there’s a literal civil war just beyond the border and no one has bothered to intervene… “... Then I guess we’ve got no choice.”

“You see, part of our plan is to change the shinobi world at large. The system hurt you, it hurt us, and it continues to hurt a lot of people.” Sasuke explains, and Karin nods. “Uzushio… I don’t know what we’ll do when we get there, or how it’s going to look, but we need to make a home to represent our ideals.”

“I see…” Karin says, sounding like she both understands and doesn’t understand. Her hand scratches the back of her head. “I suppose it is useful to understand the political climate of other nations other than your own and with your own eyes and ears. You can only trust so much in what the village wants to tell you…”

“Right. So we need to pass this zone and get into the mountain range,” Naruto says, really just to hurry the conversation along, because he’s kind of getting lost in it. “How long will it take us to get there from here?”

“About a day, maybe less if we move faster. It also depends if we get caught up in a fight…” Karin murmurs. “I know the terrain well enough to maneuver around the active area, but who’s to say if something’s changed?”

“We’ll just take our chances.” Sasuke says, painting a new path along the mountain range. “To get into the Land of Cascades, we’ll walk until this point, and break away. We have to be careful about its ravines, which are surely going to be in abundance around the raised mountains. It’ll take us at least two weeks on foot.”

“One of us needs to change into a horse.” Naruto proposes, but both Sasuke and Karin stare daggers at him. Alas, the price of being a genius. “Wow, okay. Guess not then.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. “If all goes well and nothing happens while we’re in the Land of Cascades, we’ll be able to travel faster. So let’s keep things on the downlow.” With that, he wraps the map up. “Let’s get moving. You can eat on the go.”

He ends up eating the whole thing in one bite, cheeks stuffed. Should've removed the bone.

 

* * *

 

When they had arrived to the border town of En, Naruto knew something was amiss. The smell of body fluid and decay had filled the air, and it wasn’t until another mile in that they finally saw bodies. Actual ones. Like Zabuza and Haku, lifeless, brutalized. Sasuke had almost thrown up from the mass grave, and Naruto still has the image of the boy bowing over, spitting out bile.

“How can this be happening…” Naruto whispers. How could it be that the Land of Dew was so calm, Ooame Town so tranquil and lively, and something like this is happening just over the border?

“Neutrality.” Karin says simply, and Naruto can tell she’s trying her hardest to keep herself together, hands gripping at her pants. Because unlike Sasuke and Naruto, who come from a nation that reigns above everyone else’s, Karin lived in a lesser one, has seen more of war than she ever should have and knows how it tears the land apart.

“Think about it. A village beside you is fighting its own war, amongst themselves. What do you think would happen? That their allies will come in and help?” Sasuke says, and he’s not better off.

“We lived just across the border, too. To think that Konoha didn’t want to get involved in this either…” Naruto says, gritting his teeth. He doesn’t know enough about politics, but it’s stupid. They’re supposed to be allies, right?

They’re so close to the beginnings of the mountain range. The air is beginning to thin out, the summer heat tapering just a bit. But Naruto doesn’t know if he can allow himself to sleep at night knowing he saw a town still suffering the aftermath of war, and not having done anything about it. Karin seems to notice this, giving him a worried look.

“You can’t save everyone, Hikari. There’s only so much we can do now.” Sasuke says, though his eyes aren’t meeting his, and Naruto knows he wants to help just as much, but knows their reality.

“But whatever you decide, Hikari,” Karin starts out, and it’s a lot, because he doesn’t think he asked to be the leader. There should be no leaders in this group; they have to make decisions together. “We’ll follow, okay?”

Naruto clenches his fist. They could leave now. The villagers are too busy assembling houses, barreling bodies, trying to repair that they might as well be invisible, the tension of misery so thick over this place you can cut it with a knife. He can’t leave here just yet.

“Odeng. Akira.” Naruto says, hating that they’re using codenames, because it’s a comfort to know a _Sasuke_ and a _Karin,_ but they can’t afford to be found out. Not now, not in a place like this. “Fan out. See what we can do. Meet up at this spot in two hours.”

 

* * *

 

The tavern is near empty. It’s only real patrons had been soldiers of Kusagakure, back when the war had still been raging on in this area and has long since moved on to another part of the Meadows to destroy again. The bartender, Kane, wipes incessantly at the thick glass of a cup, trying to remember a time when the town was complete. She can feel her consciousness brush the very edges of such memories, but nothing more.

The rusting bell of the door rings, the sound of heavy steps earning just a glance from her. A tall, young woman with doe eyes and dark hair in a bun looks around the bar, noticing her. Immediately she walks over to take a seat on the stool just a bit a ways away. The other woman makes no move to speak, and Kane snorts, eyeing the big mug before setting it down, throwing her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t think this is the place for you, little girl. If you want a drink, go down to Hiroshi’s.”

“You have the wrong idea,” The woman says, waving her hands in emphasis, and Kane quirks a brow. This seems to make her smile a bit, strangely enough, as she crosses her arms on the counter. It’s difficult, knowing his intentions; she’s long since learned to be wary of people who come into this pub. “I’m just passing through town, and needed a place to sit, you know. I’m Akira, by the way. And I’m a man.”

“...I see.” She replies, taking the glass she just finished cleaning and filling it graciously with ale, bringing it up to drink from. The man doesn’t seem to mind. “Kane. What do you want? Surely you didn’t come in here for no reason.”

“Tell me about this place.” Akira says, clearly wasting no time in jumping in. It’s an odd question, one she hasn’t gotten in a long time; but that’s because not many travelers pass by here. The Land of Meadows has never been kind to travelers.  Akira surely has seen the daily chaos that’s just outside the doors, too, so she can’t help but quirk her brow again. “I’m not from these lands. What happened here?”

Kane takes a moment to sip at her ale, formulating her thoughts, before setting it down on the counter, being careful not to spill it. After all, she’s the one who’d have to clean the mess up. “Kusa-fucking-gakure.” There’s no point in keeping secrets. No one’s here to listen.

“The war didn’t start till just over two years ago, but there was always conflict. Baasan told me that this has gone on forever, ever since the passing of the Grass Daimyo. A new one hadn’t been appointed immediately, causing things like people taking over others’ lands and terrorize business. There was no one to keep matters like these in check, so naturally Kusagakure decided to take charge. Now picture this: what happens when the military tries to take control of matters that don’t involve fighting or ruling?”

“They govern people the only way they know how. Through violence.” Akira says, the very tip of his finger tracing the swirling patterns of the wood. “I see. So the people revolted against this, and paid for it.”

Kane chuckles bitterly. Understatement of the century. “Civilians… they don’t get the same treatment as shinobi. Things like jutsus and large weapon ranges; these aren’t available to us, for whatever reason.”

“Kusagakure… they want people to rely on them. They want people to buy things from them, contract them for stuff that civilians should do themselves. They’re aiming to have as much control as possible.” Akira says, and Kane thinks she’s going to get her brow stuck at this rate. Akira brings his hand under his chin, and even in low light his eyes have some sort of… aura to them. Like he knows more than he lets on, that he’s older beyond his years, and Kane isn’t sure how to deal with him. She’s used to brainless people trying to drink their memories away, dammit.

“... I guess so,” Kane murmurs, contemplating on taking another sip. “When Kusa’s shinobi began coming to our villages, demanding we obey them and them being our only source of items and trade, we had to. But clearly people didn’t stand for it, planned multiple attempts to overthrow, but our severe lack of knowledge on chakra and the like cost us in the end.”

“But people use chakra here. I saw them outside; I would have never imagined such an abundance of doton users.” Akira says, and yeah, she needs a sip of ale. She can’t help but laugh a little, taking the cup and taking more than just a sip before making a noise at the rush.

“Yeah, right.” Kane says, leaning against the counter as she looks at Akira, whose face is rather neutral. “There hasn’t been a single person in this village who has ever gone to Kusagakure’s Academy. No one here’s a shinobi. There’s no way to find such a thing out. And it doesn’t matter, anyway; this town’s as good as dead.”

Akira smiles, an odd expression on what, until this point, has been a stoic face. “I wouldn’t count it out just yet. After all, whatever falls can be rebuilt with time.”

Kane opens her mouth to speak, before the door slams open, hard enough to send the bell flying off its hinge. She jumps, spilling the ale, and Akira only turns his head to look at her brother, who’s panting hard and smiling brightly. Something she hasn’t seen him do since the start of this shitshow. His hands and clothes are covered in dirt.

“Neechan,” He breathes out. “You’ve got to come see this!”

Akira gives her a small smile, hopping off the stool as he hops off the stool, walking towards the exit. Kane quirks her brow for the umpteenth time today, putting her ale down and placing a coaster over the mouth before making her way around the counter, following after the two men. The sun never blinds her; the trees are too tall for that. But she still can’t believe her eyes.

People are bustling around, earth is moving, water is in the air, a fire lit at the center of the village. There’s no long piles of bodies at the very edge of the village, no one’s carrying them in wheelbarrows. Kane can see how there’s a group of kids around a young man, much like Akira, and how he’s turning dirty water into… clean water. A group of people are using scrolls to transport items across the village, and En is actually… alive.

The smell of the dead still lingers. But it’s  _ alive. _

“What the hell…” Kane whispers, and Akira puts a hand on her shoulder. “What is this?”

“A future.” He says, and Kane turns her head to look at him. He’s so… sure of himself. “A chance to rebuild.”

A bit later, when the excitement of learning basic techniques and actually being able to do something for the village has died down, the three foreigners group together at the one way in and out. The one with muddy green hair flying all over the place hands the last of the scrolls to the village leader, a wide smile on his face. He’s on a horse, as well as another woman and Akira on other ones, and Kane has no doubt that it’s Yuri-san’s finest.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. But these should have all the basics you’ve learned today, just to get started. Even beginners can learn how to come up with some new tricks.” He says. “We should get going now. We appreciate all the kindness you’ve given us. I wish you and your village good luck.”

“Wanderers,” The village leader says, clutching at the scrolls. “We in En… we have our own tales, our own legends. It was said in the transcripts there would be someone to come here and answer our calls. You have done more for us than we have done for you. Surely there must be another way to repay, something more.”

The young man smiles softly. He then reaches into his bag, pulling out a simple sheet of paper, and a brush, dips it into the ink on his belt. It only takes a second before he shows everyone, and Kane has to squint to see it; a spiral symbol.

“Everyone. One day, there will be people who will return to these lands.” The man announces, the horse jittering a bit underneath him. “They will don this symbol. When they come, please accept them. I’m sure we will all meet again.”

A few teary goodbyes and a promise, the trio are off, horses galloping. The village leader turns to his people, eyes watery.

“The Angels of En.” He says.

 

* * *

 

The grass becomes sparse as they approach their destination, the soil turning to hard stone, the sound of hooves clicking against the ground. Naruto tightens the cloak around himself, sniffing a bit. He finds comfort in knowing they have replenished their things, but even more so that they helped En.

He’s never seen a mountain before. Not like the ones they’re about to pass through, high and jagged. They’re very… mighty. As if the ground they’re on got tired of being flat and, quite literally, rose up to touch the sky. Naruto thinks he’s the same way. They all are in this little group.

“Ooookay,” Naruto says, pulling a bit at the reigns and getting jostled when the horse turns. He’s never ridden on a horse before, either, so it’s… hard. “Oh  _ geez, _ Emmie,— ANYWAY, so! Two weeks on foot, we’ve cut our time in half with these babies!”

“At least two weeks,” Karin corrects him. “As in, if we just cut our time by half, we still may potentially take two weeks total,”

“Doesn’t work like that, either.” Sasuke cuts in. He’s been having the best control out of the two Uzumakis. Naruto thinks he was, like, a princess of nature in his past life or something. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s get a move on, we’ve made good time. We’ll travel single file; I go first, Karin second, Naruto third. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Karin says, gently patting her horse’s side, and Naruto takes in a breath. They’re going to do this. A long way, but it’s only a stretch in their journey, nothing more. After this, they’ll be in the Land of Cascades, and one step closer to Uzushio. Naruto grips on the reigns, falling back as he lets Sasuke and Karin pass before him into the narrow way into the mountains.

“Let’s go, Uzucrew!” Naruto sings out, and the reception is promising; Karin laughs, and Sasuke groans. It’ll stick eventually.

 

* * *

 

“Forgive me, Hokage-sama,” Hotaru says, leaning with his hands folded over his face. “May you please repeat that again? I’m afraid you aren’t speaking clearly enough.”

Hiruzen needs a drink. Several, if possible. He tries to not let his frustration show through as he sighs, putting his elbows on the table and steeples his hands. Danzō shows neutrality, while Homura’s brows knit in concern.

“The pursuit team sent in a report,” He starts. “In the Land of Meadows, Kusagakure’s shinobi were attacked in the village of Nogu, though nothing happened to the village itself. The men claim that the Crimson Devil of Konohagakure was the one to attack them, as well as a boy. Their descriptions, however, match up well with those of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.”

Homura brings his hand up to rub at his temple, and Hiruzen pushes on. Might as well.

“Kusagakure’s shinobi had been guarding Uzumaki Karin. She was taken during the attack. About 5 miles from Nogu, the team found a large patch of land, scorched, with the trees damaged. They had sent in some clothing found at the site, with some DNA. The lab results are less than stellar.”

“Things are not looking good for us…” Homura mutters. “What are those kids thinking? To think they would actively attack our allies and go as far as to take one of their shinobi… we must explain ourselves immediately, or a war may be at our hands! The only thing keeping those brats from being S-Rank is a body count, but with Uzumaki Karin being taken, who knows what they’re planning!”

“Let me continue.” Hiruzen says, and he can practically feel the tensions rising. “The lab results…”

“Just rip the band-aid off already, Hokage-sama.” Danzō says, practically glaring at him now. Hiruzen can’t help but feel saddened by his friend; there was a time where they talked casually, without the pressures of a village. But he agreed to this life, after all. They all did.

“… It was hard to make out, but the DNA… matches up with Orochimaru’s.” Hiruzen says simply. Even as he closes his eyes, he can feel the stares of his council members, the memory of letting the man who conducted horrendous experiments but who he still loved as his sensei.

“Not only is the state of Konoha in jeopardy, but that blasted Orochimaru is still moving. There’s no doubt that he now knows of the Uchiha boy and the jinchūriki.” Hotaru says, furrowing her brows. “Not to mention the Akatsuki are already making their move. This is no longer something we can keep within the village; we must take this to the Fire Daimyo, alert our shinobi both in and out of Konoha, alert our allies of our situation to prevent any misconceptions!”

“With all due respect, Hotaru-sama, but that is not a good idea.” Danzō says, and all heads turn to him, but he only turns to look at Hiruzen. “Hokage-sama, there is too much risk. We are not the only village with a missing jinchūriki— Kiri no Utakata.”

“How do you know of this?” Homura says, and Danzō only gives him the vaguest of looks.

“I, too, want to protect this village,” He says. “By any means necessary. The jinchūriki of Kirigakure has also supposedly gone rogue, but who is to say that the village won’t suspect we tried to take him once they hear word of us missing our jinchūriki? Who’s to say that other nations won’t jump at a chance to take us down with our greatest assets no longer in our reach? We have him in the Akatsuki as well, and he knows his place.”

Hiruzen can feel a deep sense of guilt rise within him, making his heart ache. But there is some room for doubt— not because of Itachi, but because of factors Itachi cannot control.

“You and I know that an Uchiha is not to be trusted.” Homura retorts. “The only good of that clan that has ever existed was our comrade, and he’s long since gone. Who is to say that he will keep his loyalty when he hears his brother is missing and committing crimes? They’re no different from each other now.”

“Hokage-sama,” Hotaru says urgently. “We must make a decision now. These are not just children we are dealing with. This is a jinchūriki of the strongest bijū there is, an Uchiha that can control such a demon with time, both who have betrayed the village and put it in danger. The Akatsuki will be looking for Naruto so long as he is alive, and who knows if Orochimaru wants anything to do with them. We are on the verge of war. Now is the time for action.”

Hiruzen has to take a moment to think just when and how did everything go so wrong. He prays silently, for whatever evil is in their minds to burn away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- chapter is called stakes because of the last part of this. bc they are RISING
> 
> \- i always figured that fūinjutsu is such a great utility based art. kushina’s stabilizing seal that iruka used is derived from the uzumaki fūinjutsu mentioned here!
> 
> \- the land of cascades is where takigakure is , bc again, no named country
> 
> \- i rly wanted to write them helping a town… bc that is, after all, one of their goals! to help whoever they find along the way. especially if they’re a place that suffered the effects of war.
> 
> \- i took a lot of liberties with the conflicts here ( meadows’ civil war, danzō’s power, utakata, etc ) 
> 
> \- i still very much hate konoha !! 
> 
> \- the canon divergence is only going to get greater…. i’m literally on episode 56 of shippuden. Sad
> 
> anyway… see you all later!!


	14. mountain range - pt i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the uzucrew confront a new enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS IT’S ME…. YA BOY… W/ ANOTHER CHAPTER! sorry these updates are taking so long, life gets in the way a lot skknfksd hope you guys enjoy this chap, even if it’s kind of slow kdsjnf

The sky is grey over their heads, adding to the bleak dreariness around them. The place is craggy as the horses do their best to navigate the terrain, fog building from their hooves and gradually upwards the further they walk. Naruto wonders if they should’ve gone with yaks instead. At least the path has opened up enough to have all three of them walk alongside each other, having since abandoned their single file line because Emmie is in just of a hurry as he is.

They’re talking about anything and everything, but Naruto finds himself losing focus more often than not. It’s been a while since they’ve entered the range, and he can feel the effects of the soldier pill fading as he blinks slowly. A familiar monotone indicates it’s Sasuke speaking, and he lazily turns his head towards him. His hair has gotten longer, Naruto notices. It always grew stupidly fast, the frequent haircuts doing next to nothing. The fringes go past his jaw now, and with no hitai-ate his bangs fall to cover his forehead, short of his brows.

He’s going to look like a sheep dog in the next month or two.

The circles under his eyes are a bit darker, whites a bit red, and he suddenly feels a bit warm at the thought of wanting to pull him in completely. Sasuke still has a bandaid on his cheek, and Naruto feels a weird urge to reach out and put his hand on it, as if he could do anything to heal it— but so what! He’s just worried about him!

“Hey, Karin, do you think I can heal like you?” Naruto asks, turning his head to see her blinking before she rubs the back of her next, looking away. “I-I mean, not like— I just think that, since you’re an Uzumaki— Hamako and Kaoru healed through their blood, but you heal through chakra, right? Do you think I could do either of those?”

“I hope to the gods you don’t heal through the former. That’s gross.” He hears Sasuke say from beside him, and nevermind what he said, dammit, Sasuke can suffer with his slow ass healing. Karin, however, hums in thought.

“My mother… she said that all Uzumaki had healing abilities.” She says, turning to look at Naruto, and he wonders what it would’ve been like if his mother was the one to tell him stories of the Uzumaki. “Hamako and Kaoru healed by blood since they’re from the same branch of the family, but my mother and I… we heal through people biting our skin. It could be that your family heals in a different way entirely.”

“‘ttebayo… I get it! So it could literally be anything, huh?” Naruto says. Sasuke kind of has a point there; it’s enough he bleeds constantly for his seals, blood tastes terrible. He’s been punched enough times to know. And he wouldn’t want to be bitten all the time— not only from the pain, but he wouldn’t want Karin to see something like that. Maybe he has healing spit? Healing hand holding? Healing aura? Suddenly he can feel his excitement fading. “… Geez, that stinks. How am I supposed to find out?!”

“You heal yourself just fine, dobe. You don’t need to find out anything.”

“Teme, you can’t say that like you’re not all battered up! I wanna help you, ‘ttebayo!”

“Oh, so this is about me? How many times have I—“

“Guys,” Karin says suddenly, her own horse stopping, and Naruto’s mouth immediately shuts. Sasuke comes to a stop as well, and Emmie only pauses when she’s a bit ahead, making Naruto the forefront. “I’m sensing chakra.”

Naruto squints, tries to focus. He can feel something, just barely; for one, it’s really… warm. Whatever this fog is, it’s not natural— it’s heavier, yet… familiar. Like he’s experienced this before, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t recall any real memories. Must be some weird case of deja vu.

“Do you hear that? It sounds like whirring.” Sasuke mutters, and Naruto furrows his brows. “This isn’t fog. It’s...  _ steam.” _

“Y’know, it’d be nice to tell me these things, considering I can’t hear anyth—“ Naruto says, but Sasuke’s hisses, his Sharingan whirring to life. It’s bad news for all of them, huh? Naruto grips tightly on the reigns, looking ahead in an effort to see through the fog-- or steam, whatever. A bulky, huge figure, walking slow but steady towards them. Karin’s breath hitches beside him, and he breaks eye contact to look over his shoulder at her. “Karin?...”

She’s  _ terrified. _

“Karin, what is it?!” Sasuke asks urgently, and Naruto clenches his teeth as he forces himself to look forward. They’re just taking their sweet time walking, huh? It pisses him off, but he knows it’ll be really dumb of him to call out. “What’s going on?”

“T-this.. This chakra,” Naruto can barely hear her say from how quiet it is, sounding just as frightened as she looked. “It’s dark, boiling and bursting… this isn’t just some other ninja!”

“This is no place for children.” Rumbles a deep voice, almost hitting the damn ground. Naruto can finally hear the faint clanking of boots against stone, of plates hitting each other. A man— no, a _giant_ — steps into view, the armor a bold red that can be seen even through the haze. The horses stir, and he can practically hear a signature ‘tch’ from Sasuke, but Naruto… he doesn’t move. Refuses to. “Turn back now.”

“We don’t want any trouble.” Sasuke says from behind him, sounding calm and collected as ever. “Just let us pass through, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Your eyes.” The man says, and something whistles behind him, more of the heated vapor rushing out around the area. It’s almost suffocating, but there’s something familiar, makes something flair up deep inside his gut. “You are of Konohagakure, Uchiha. I take it the rest of your friends are as well. Though I see no hitai-ate.”

Every sign is pointing to turn back. Sasuke’s not 100%, Karin clearly sees more than he does, they’re in enemy territory, they’re wanted people, whoever this guy is has the advantage with whatever this fog is supposed to be, and even worse; he’s donning Iwa’s symbol on his forehead. Naruto has witnessed, firsthand and in another life, what they can do.

But there’s something in the bellows of his insides, a rush that makes him straighten his spine, determined. There’s something about this man that’s different from the other shinobi he’s seen, his aura radiating something else.

And then it clicks.  _ Jinchūriki. _

“I don’t want to kill any of you.” The man says. his eyes drift to Naruto’s. They’re… lonely. The same eyes he saw in Haku, in Sasuke, in the mirror. They show conflict. “To kill a child is not something I would want on my conscious. But you came here with a purpose. And no matter what it is, you are all shinobi of Konohagakure, and are trespassing. I have a duty. This is your last chance to go back.”

Naruto makes his horse move forward, and he can feel the tension rise like the fog that does off of the man’s body. He doesn’t know whether the sweat that rolls down his face is that from the heat or the nervousness. The bare sound of gravel being shifted attracts his attention, and he looks behind him. Sasuke is off his horse, removing his pack and his cloak from around his shoulders and throwing them to the side. From Naruto’s right, Karin is also off her horse, and even if her body shakes her brows are still furrowed, taking two kunai into her hands.

They’re doing this.

“At least let the horses pass,” Naruto says, jumping off his own horse and shrugging off any obstructions, putting them off to the side. They have far too much on the line—  their dreams, their  _ lives _ — to let it end here. And if the feeling deep within Naruto is correct, if this is truly someone worth fighting against and worth fighting for, then  _ god _ he’s going to. After all, even with everything, they are shinobi at heart— and if it’s one thing this world has taught him, it’s that you never really get know someone through words; you know them through action. “We have our own duty, ‘ttebayo.”

The valley is silent, the only sound coming from the horses as they make their way forwards. The man lets them pass, and Naruto can’t help but feel just the slightest bit relieved.

He still has a chance to change him.

 

* * *

 

They’ve been traveling nonstop now. And Kakashi feels like they've barely made any fucking progress.

A flinch, tiny enough to fit on the palm of his hand, lands on the branch just a few meters from Kakashi. It’s not ordinary bird, judging by the small rolled up piece of paper tucked against its leg. Cursing it only briefly, Kakashi comes to a stop, Yamato and Inochi on either side of him.

“Looks like they’ve sent out the report. But a word back from Konoha? That’s unusual.” Yamato says through a breath, and Kakashi has to agree. It’s risky enough sending messages, to get them back is something that’s usually unheard of. In most cases, it meant a change in the mission; be it in status or objective. He doesn’t hold his breath as he approaches the bird, and it chirps happily when he offers his finger for it to sit on. Carefully, Kakashi pulls the paper free, unraveling it. It’s all written in neat bullet points— not quite the style of the Sandaime, but definitely one of his aids.

“Sakura won the tournament.” He reads out loud. There’s the result for each other the kids the people on the team has ties to. From the corner of his eye, Inochi perks up. “... Ino made it into the finals. She’s the runner up.”

The Yamanaka only smiles, even with the implications of Ino losing. It’s good to see such a supporting figure in her life. Kakashi grips more at the paper, though, because he knows that’s the only good news there is. Only acting as a buffer for the blow.

“... Orochimaru is alive.” Kakashi says, and it almost hurts, reminds him of a time of failure. It turns everyone on an axis, Yamato visibly tensing up. “Sasuke and Naruto confronted him, that’s why the place was devastated. Akatsuki are on the move. We need to hurry and find them.”

“Pakkun, are we still on track?” Inochi asks, and the eldest canine looks just a bit worried. Kakashi knows the look very well; it’s never a good sign. He knew he had some real monsters on his team. He just never imagined they’d turn out this way.

“Dammit.” Kakashi says, running a hand through his hair. The sky rumbles above their heads, threatening, and it would be stupid to keep going when the trail’s dead. But Orochimaru is out there, showed his face, and it’s only a matter of time before the Akatsuki pick up on Naruto. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the squad gets here. “We have to go back.”

“Hold your horses, Kakashi.” Inochi says, looking in some other direction different than the one they had been going in. The man squints, and how his ability could slip his mind, Kakashi has no idea. Maybe he’s getting rusty. Yamato looks lost, and the blonde points it out even if all there is is a bunch of trees. “Over there. It’s faint, but I can feel something, which means we must be close enough. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Ūhei, stay behind. We need someone to lead the rest of the squad to use.” Kakashi says, and the canine barks in understanding. “Okay, team, let’s move!”

 

* * *

 

_ No Brows _ , as Naruto taunted him with as the blonde threw the first punch, is an unsurprisingly skilled fighter. His fighting style… it’s unlike anything Sasuke has seen before. He’s never seen an Iwagakure shinobi in action, but from books and secondhand accounts, it’s clear that this is no ordinary fighter.

Sasuke was this close to breaking every bone in his body from a crash into a nearby hunk of rock, only saved by Karin’s surprisingly quick reflexes as she slams her hands down and makes it as mushy as she can. The feeling is jarring when he practically smacks into mud. Now he’s sweaty and filthy.

He catches his breath, and as he pulls himself free, he can see they’ve made a triangle formation around the shinobi. Of course, Naruto is staring him down, even if he’s the equivalent of a mouse to a tiger with his height. Karin is standing a few feet away from him, hands dirty.

The armor clunks and rattles with each movement, steam blowing out from any orifice in it with a high whistle. With how big the man is and how heavy the armor must be, it should slow him down. It should be bad for combat, even if it is necessary. But no— this ninja must’ve acquainted himself with his suit as much as he has with his kunai. But forget about admiring his proficiency; they’re getting absolutely  _ demolished. _

“Taijutsu,” Sasuke throws quickly at Karin, who’s the only one near him. The ninja makes no effort to move, steam blowing out once again, and even when Naruto yells something out and disperses it with a gust of wind, the vapor quickly fills the area again. “He’s a master at it. My Sharingan can keep up but I haven’t had a chance to train my skill—“

Naruto’s wail distracts both of them, makes his heart jump in his throat when three copies of the boy are easily taken down, the real one being thrown towards them. His body, just like the first time and the second and many more after probably, instinctively moves before he even thinks, catching Naruto.

“You idiot—“ Sasuke hisses as the boy groans, but as harsh as he sounds his hands are pushing red bangs out of Naruto’s face.  _ Shit, _ he looks so worn out, a bit blanched from chakra deleption. Every part of Sasuke hurts, but he hasn’t been using nearly as much chakra as Naruto. “Fuck, the only reason why we’re still alive is because he’s toying with us.”

“Sasuke-kun!” Karin shouts, and they both just barely manage to jump out of the way when the ninja ( quite literally ) propels himself forward, leg crushing through stone and making the entire valley feel like it’s shaking. Sasuke grits his teeth as he lands on his back, not allowing Naruto to take any more damage.

“You know you are losing, and yet continue to try to fight.” The man says, steam hissing out as he comes to a stand. “Give up, and we don’t have to do this. I will take you to Iwagakure.”

 _Think,_ _Sasuke, think,_ he says to himself. There’s no way they can afford to get dragged into Iwagakure— they’ll surely die. But they’ve got one member who’s practically incapacitated, another who isn’t much better, and another he has no idea whether or not knows how to fucking fight at all. The odds are stacked against them, and he clenches his teeth. Blooming in adversity is better said than done.

“We refuse.” Karin says, the mist giving the illusion of unmatched determination, but Sasuke knows she’s scared. The man doesn’t respond, with only the sound of air rushing out of the ports of his suit to keep the place from going silent. His head slowly turns to Sasuke, and  _ oh shit. _

“I do not enjoy taking down my opponents while they are weak. But given who you are, this is how it must be.” He says, sounding genuinely sorry but fuck if Sasuke cares. One second he’s there and the next he turns into a blur of red, and through the blood rushing in his brain Sasuke has to force his Sharingan alive again, he can hear Karin scream and Kusanagi is again just a few meters away but he won’t make it—

It takes only a moment to blink, something you should  _ never fucking do in combat, _ and the shinobi stops. The sound of chains rattling.

“It… can’t be….” The shinobi says. The chains are glowing, but only subtly, a rusty yellow. Almost looking incomplete, but solid enough to make noise. Sasuke’s eyes widen— just like Orochimaru, he’s saved once again,  at the very last minute,  **_why is he so weak?_ ** —, and from the end of the chains he can see Karin, jaw set as she pulls. “An Uzumaki…?!”

“You— will not—hurt— my friends! Sasuke-kun, now’s our chance!” Karin strains out, and it’s clear she’s never done this before; an awakened kekkei genkai? It doesn’t matter, he’ll ask questions later. He quickly sucks in a breath as she pulls the large man towards her, putting Naruto against the ground as fast and gently as he can before darting towards his sword ( that he, by the way, still has yet to learn how to use, so many things are wrong with him ), taking it by the hilt.  His hand is shaking, but it doesn’t matter as he swipes his injured leg to sweep the large man off his feet, knocking him down a literal peg before lifting his sword up, cutting through the mist.

But it doesn’t hit. Something blows him back, burns his skin, and he has to bite his tongue not to scream when his back hits against stone.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way.” The man says, and only when Sasuke regains his ability to fucking see does he register the chakra coating the shinobi’s body coming off of him in wisps like a mist, and wonders  _ what, how,  _ **_why._ ** Karin’s chains don’t melt, but they’re getting more transparent, and Sasuke curses as he pushes himself off of the wall. The chakra— it takes form with tails and claws, and  _ actual _ white horns begin to break through the kasa. You shouldn’t even be able to  _ see _ chakra, and yet here it is, blazing red. 

“It doesn’t have to,” Sasuke finds himself saying, suppressing the panic of seeing Karin struggle to keep the enemy at bay as he strains against the chains. It’s not his fucking forte to negotiate, it’s Naruto’s, but Naruto is down and Sasuke has two people and a dream he needs to protect—

“You’re being complacent, you’re blinded by the loyalty you have for your village— you said it yourself, right?! You don’t want to kill children, then why listen to a society that permits it?!”

“... What choice do I have?” The man says simply, and with another burst of heated steam, the chains break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- our first other jinchūriki and they gotta fight him. this is their world smh but dw, things will be fine! 
> 
> \- i feel bad for misleading kakashi so many times but he’ll meet them… some day. 
> 
> \- karin unlocks her CHAKRA CHAINS! YAY! we’ll see naruto’s reaction soon
> 
> \- sasuke still has a lot more to learn…. who would have thought
> 
> \- how will our heroes defeat han now that he’s entered version 1? we’ll see
> 
> also, a question: since the uzumaki can heal, it means naruto can as well, but how do you guys think he should do it? i’m as stumped on it as naruto is. 
> 
> thanks for reading!


	15. mountain range - part ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not so much an enemy anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS… ITS BEEN A HOT MINUTE SINCE I LAST UPDATED HUH

_ When Naruto wakes up, it’s not on the battlefield. It’s not on the beach deep in his subconscious. It’s not in the ocean. No, when Naruto opens his eyes, all he sees in a ceiling of pipework, reinforced walls around him. _

_ It doesn’t smell, but it’s clear this place is supposed to be underground, and he slowly rises to his feet. Water gently moves with him, but the drops that hit the body echo, all eerie. _

_ “Kaasan?” Naruto calls out, but there’s no answer as he walks, going nowhere in particular. “Hamako?” _

_ The sound of a growl makes him jump, its wave leaving ripples along the water in its wake. The realization comes slowly to him as he cautiously walks towards and down the corridor where he heard the sound, the water reaching just to his ankles. It leads him to a large area, where the ceiling no longer within his reach, rising into nothingness. A gate, with a seal, stands before him. _

_ The air is menacing. Naruto steps closer to it, the growling only growing louder, and he furrows his brows. Even someone who’s as terrible at sensing as he is can tell the chakra emitting threateningly from the cage, how water comes in small waves when a gust of wind passes through the gaps of bars. He only holds his ground, fists clenched as bright orange fur and crimson eyes come into view, the beast’s form hunched over. _

**_“It’s you. The puny Uzumaki.”_ ** _ The damn fox says, and Naruto’s lips pulls up in a sneer. _

_ “You pulled me down here, didn’t you?!” Naruto shouts, pointing accusingly at the large beast, who only continues to stare. “You saw what I saw, right? Felt what I felt? Another jinchūriki and their bijū! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?!” _

**_“Were you really the Uzukage? You’re brainless.”_ ** _ It growls, and Naruto has half the mind to just slip through the bars and show it a piece of his mind—  _ **_“Your kage hates you. Your village hates you. They denied you the right to know your pathetic parents—“_ **

_ “Watch it, furball,” Naruto snaps, but he mentally counts down—10, 9, 8–, trying to relax himself. He’s not too sure of the details, but all he knows is getting angry means getting possessed. “... Look, I don’t want to fight. We don’t have the time for this. We need to work together if we want to--” _

**_“Work together?”_ ** _ The fox cuts him off.  _ **_“You have less of a spine than Mito and Kushina. They came in here and took what they wanted, those bastards.”_ **

_ “Yeah? Well I’m not Mito-obachan! And I’m not Kaasan!” Naruto says. He takes a moment to think before licking his lips, staring at the Kyūbi in the eyes. They’re sharp, boring into Naruto’s own. “I don’t want to do what they did! I don’t want to just use you like some tool— that’s why I left Konoha, ‘ttebayo! I want us to be friends!” _

**_“Oh, how rich.”_ ** _ The demon says, showing its gums in what Naruto can only guess is a smile; a shitty one, because of all those teeth. He doesn’t feel the water rising till it reaches his knees, sloshing as it begins to go red, and Naruto’s eyes widen when he feels a burn begin to sear from the inside out.  _ **_“You think you can just talk anyone you want into love, into becoming your friend. But as long as you’re human; as long as this world exists…. Well. You would know, right? But I’ll put in some work for you. After all, this is no ordinary opponent.”_ **

_ “Tch,” There’s a pull on Naruto, the edges of the space around him beginning to wash away.  But he can only smirk. “Don’t underestimate me, ‘ttebayo. We’ve got my entire lifetime!” _

_ The fox says nothing, but he said what he needed to say. And he’ll keep his word. _

 

* * *

 

She’s seen how evil the world can be. In her very own country, where two people can wear the same hitai-ate but slit each other’s throats open. Where who you are doesn’t matter, but what you possess does. Where her mother, her only family in this life up till now, was sucked dry and not even given a grave. Where someone like her, only 13, has seen as much as someone who would be much, much older.

Karin knew the dangers of banding with a bunch of fugitives. Knew that, had she been another person with a different kind of life and said fugitives different kind of people, it would be the dumbest decision in her life. She had nothing else to lose, and these kids… they are just like her; lonely, unloved, and used. But unlike her, they had a goal— and she decided to make it her own, too.

_ “ORA!”  _ Karin shouts, the chains spinning into a drill around her arm as she swings. There’s a loud hiss when both their chakra meet, the heat of the steam burning her skin. She quickly jumps back with a curse, but an appendage grows from the vaporous cloak, grabbing her by the obi.

_ “Kusanagi!” _ Sasuke yells, and a blade comes down to cut at the arm in large flames— holy shit—, and she uses her chains to wrap around a distant rock and pulls herself towards it. He smacks what looks to be a paper bomb on another appendage that grow out, and makes haste to throw himself back the moment it goes off.

“You okay?” Sasuke asks as he lands beside her, and Karin takes a moment to assess him; he’s moving awkwardly, but it’s due to additional strain on a preexisting injury and exhaustion. Not that that’s any better than getting some new abrasions— the healing process to slow down substantially—, but she can tell Sasuke been trying his best to minimize the damage he takes. And with how fast he is on his feet, he’s doing a damn good job.

“Yeah,” Karin breathes, one of the lenses on her glasses having been cracked. Two arms constructed of just steam alone come out of the large mass of the jinchuriki, both Karin and Sasuke jumping away from each other to avoid the fists that crash through stone. One of the arms split into two and chase after her. She bites out a curse, sucking in her stomach and twirling on her heel to evade them, lets chains manifest down her leg and swings it as hard as she can to cut through the mist.

The (literal) heat of the battle has her almost beat, but the overwhelming instinct just to survive takes her, makes her move in ways she never ever has before but the warrior inside of her—  _ Kaoru, her name was (is?) Kaoru _ — demands it so. But she’s also not Kaoru. She’s inexperienced, untrained.

So she makes the mistake of turning her back a little too late, and gets the wind knocked out of her when a packed chakra fist makes its way to her abdomen. Karin hears a distant yell of her name, but she focuses her energy on keeping herself in the present, the exhaustion and power of the punch making her feel dizzy. She tries to manifest chains to free her from the burning feeling around her, but they only melt.

“I’m sorry it must end this way,” The man says, but Karin looks past him, only seeing eyes bleeding to red, and a burning blade coming from behind. She doesn’t shut her eyes, only musters as much chakra as she can into her palm and imagining it becoming the fine point of the head of a chain, heart beating loudly in her ears as she gears up to slam it into his forehead before he—

A burst of chakra, coming from the northwest, the sound of rocks breaking and landing on the path. From the heap, the large slabs shift, as if someone is digging out. The mist is… dissipating, but Karin feels like she can barely breathe with how volatile the space suddenly feels, two powerful forces too close together. Sasuke’s sword is just short of the man’s head, the man holds him by a chakra arm, and it’s almost comical how the three of them freeze. Like she could actually laugh.

But the sight of Naruto chills her, against the burning surface of her skin. A flaming bright cloak envelops him, the red of his hair is fiery with two large ears sticking up from the top of his head. His teeth are sharper than ever, the makeup around his eyes before only amplified, red irises landing on the trio as he stands tall and strong.

“A jinchūriki,” The enemy says in disbelief, but he doesn’t let up his hold on Sasuke and herself. Karin’s eyes widen as the tail behind Naruto swishes from side to side. “Kokuō told me there was something off about you, but how…? If you’re here, that means Konohagakure is without its jinchūriki… have you turned your back on your own village?...“

“And what if I did, huh?” Naruto says, his brows furrowing, and he’s emitting power in waves with every wag of the tail. But his voice grows a little softer, and he looks… sympathetic. “We’re both jinchūriki, ‘ttebayo. I can see it— those eyes you have. It’s been painful for you too, huh?”

Karin doesn’t know what to do or say. Even breathing is almost too much. Her eyes look up, and the look in the Iwa-nin’s gaze is… shockingly human; his teal irises have glistened. They’re making a connection that neither she— hell, maybe even Sasuke— could understand.

“Kokuō… is that what your beast is called?” Naruto asks. The flames crackle down, and there’s a small smile on his face as he steps closer, with his heart on his sleeve. “What about you? What’s  _ your  _ name?”

The enemy’s grip because just a little looser.

 

* * *

 

“We can’t pass from here.” Yamato says, and Kakashi has to resist the urge to drive his fist against a rock or in the ground or into his own fucking stomach. He’s frustrated, tired, but the most that comes out of him is a nick of the brow. Inochi lands just a bit aways away from the duo, stepping forward. “We’ll run the risk of running into Iwagakure’s shinobi. Lord knows that’ll be a mess and a half.”

“They must be mad…” Inochi grumbles, with Akino sniffing the ground at his side. “Deliberately stepping into enemy territory… they must’ve known we wouldn’t be able to enter the range without getting into trouble. It’s clear they’re adamant in running from us.”

“So they’re just not trying to toy with us. They’re serious.” Yamato says, and Kakashi clenches his jaw. To think that they’ve thought so far ahead and took something like this into account… shit. He can feel his former pupil’s eyes on him, and he tries to ignore it as he looks somewhere else, playing it off as anything other than avoidance. “Senpai?”

“It’ll be stupid to walk in there without any prior notice.” Kakashi says, trying to map out as much of the world as he can in his head; the mountain range stretches from inside of Meadows all the way to the edge of Cascades. There’s no questioning that Sasuke and Naruto will step foot into the country if they want to go anywhere that isn’t further into the Land of Earth. And with the new wave set in motion, Takigakure, as an ally, will have been alerted about the two.

Good news that there’ll be more people on their side looking for those kids. Bad news is one of them will be killed on sight, the other inhumanly restrained.

A hand on his shoulder pulls him halfway out of his thoughts, making him breathe out as he turns to look at its owner; Yamato. Tenzō, he once called him, but these days Yamato insisted on the former unless they were alone. “Senpai. We should rest. We’ve been traveling for far too long. We don’t want to become liabilities here.”

“If we don’t find them before anyone else does, chances are Konoha’s going to be in some shit.” Inochi says, and it stings, but Kakashi is nothing if not a soldier as he pushes at Yamato’s hand. He can’t afford that sort of sympathy, not when at the end of the day he should’ve done more for them.

“We need to pull back,” says a voice he hasn’t heard in a while; Shikaku. He lands in a flurry of insects, Shibi beside him with his hands in his pockets. “Plan a new course of action. We must remember our objective, Kakashi; and who they are now.”

Sasuke. Mission. Naruto. Mission. Mission. Mission. His father died by the hands of Konoha for not putting the mission first.

He refuses to do the same.

 

* * *

 

When the fight is over, all that’s left are craters, moved earth, and scorch marks along the walls of the mountains. Sasuke’s eyes threaten to fall out of his skull as he watches Naruto finish sealing Kusanagi away into a scroll, making a small fist pump to the air when the deed is done. The boy rises to his feet, offering the scroll to him, and Sasuke takes it diligently.

“You don’t have a sheath,” Naruto starts as Sasuke puts the scroll in his pocket. “So I thought this would be a good idea. Smart, huh?”

“I guess.” Sasuke says, smiling a bit when Naruto huffs. It’s very smart, actually, but Naruto knows that. “Thanks.”

A beat passes between them, with them just staring, able to communicate with their eyes alone—  _ are you okay, are you able to go on, yes, stop asking me, _ — before Naruto gives him smile ( his teeth were not like that before ), hand sliding against Sasuke’s palm and intertwining their fingers.

( It makes his heart spring, just for a second, even if they’ve done it so many time before. )

“It will take at least two months to cross the entirety of the mountain range.” Han says, and Naruto tenses up just a bit beside him. Sasuke frowns, hand instinctively squeezing the other boy’s in a gesture of comfort. Naruto returns it, smiling a little easier. “We should leave, before anyone notices what happened here.

“Alright, Uzucrew!” Naruto says, and Sasuke resists the urge to roll his eyes and fixes one of the straps of his bag instead, making it more comfortable. Karin smiles brightly, while Han stands just near her with crossed arms. “Sasuke, Karin, and our newest addition Han— are we ready to go?”

“As we’ll ever be,” Karin says, and Han nods.

Sasuke is starting to become more hopeful about their chances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- kurama is going to proven wrong 934939 times
> 
> \- HAN HAS JOINED THE PARTY! you can’t start a proper revolution w/o a proper adult gang
> 
> \- it’s said that han was rly friendly and amicable and that kokuō was a pacifistic individual so i hc they get along… maybe not on the same level as killer b and gyūki but still !!
> 
> \- kaoru had been very versatile w/ her use of chains and i rly wanted to incorporate the same for karin !! so we’ll be seeing more of that l8r
> 
> \- a major hc i have is the idea that the chakra cloak that surround the jinchūriki are that of their bijū/ are the color associated by them, which is why han has a cloak made out of more steam (that’s somehow more solid). i also hc that jinchūriki adopt more of their bijū’s appearance the further they transform, which is why han grew kokuō’s horns
> 
> \- same reason why naruto’s chakra cloak is made of fire and he has kurama’s ears… and since kurama is the most powerful beast, naruto adopts his traits even without tapping into its chakra ( the ‘ eye makeup ‘ and sharp teeth )
> 
> next stop, the land of cascades (aka takigakure ) ! bye for now! hmu at blanksuke on tumblr


	16. cascades - pt i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the gods answer their prayers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN A BIT BUT IM BACK!! screwed up the pacing and stuff a bit but i hope you enjoy anyway!

In two months time and a hell of a crossing over the Erepond Ravine (  a man made barrier following along a portion mountain range that apparently the Second Tsuchikage created since he had been skeptical about Takigakure’s growing alliance with Konohagakure, fucking idiot ), Sasuke has to breathe in the abundance of fresh air Cascades’ trees bring when he steps foot in its soil.

The change of the season is evident, from the orange red leaves that fall without a care to the ground to the cool breeze that passes by. The Chunin Exams must’ve already happened, and he briefly thinks about Sakura; she must’ve passed, right? Though, who knows if she could’ve entered at all, what with her team practically missing. But someone with such a kekkei genkai, there’s no doubt in his mind she’d be an exception.

Karin would’ve liked her, he thinks.

The sound of water leads them to a stream nearby, sparkling as the sun hits off its surface. “We can stop here. 15 minutes.” Says Han, and Sasuke has no idea when they all put their trust in him, but Karin cheers. Naruto looks confused, and Sasuke takes a moment to let him know the news before he’s cheering, too. He wonders if there’s a way to create a jutsu to help him hear better, and mentally slaps himself for it.

He finds his resting place on a log nearby, and it creaks beneath his weight as he sits down.

Sasuke sighs, leaning his back against the tree trunk the log is adjacent to, quickly sitting back up because of the moss dirtying his clothes. Then again, there’s no point, considering it’s been fucking ages since he’s bathed. He has to resist scratching at the rash on his side from where he got a scrape.

Looking up at the trees, he wonders just what Uzushiogakure is. Or was, if he’s honest; his knowledge comes from stories told by the supposed Uzukage himself, but it’s been destroyed since. Sasuke pushes at his brain to imagine a sunlit sky, the gold emblem on the Uzukage tower shining, the gems forever integrated into the heart of the village. He tries to imagine a myriad of reds and oranges and color bursting from every cornerstone, but remembers it’s since been crushed away.

From what Naruto had told him, there probably isn’t even a land anymore to stand on.

It doesn’t matter, though, because what else can they do? What better testament to their cause than to build a country from the ground up?

“Sasuke!” Naruto shouts—  _ dummy, _ doesn’t he know that they can get attacked—, his smile wide as he waves at him while Karin holds up a bunch of fish on a stick, and Han is wrangling a small creature in hand. “We got a feast, ‘ttebayo! Get your lazy ass over here and eat!”

Sasuke rolls his eyes, though the hunger pain does win over, and he pulls his bag along as he walks over to the group. From what he can see, Han has gathered a bunch of sticks, and lights it up with just a snap of his fingers. To have such mastery over one’s chakra… well, he’ll get there someday. Naruto pats the spot of dirt next to him excitedly, and Sasuke tries not to think too much of it.

_ ( But he remembers, months back, when Naruto had woken up for his turn to be watchdog over the slumbering comrades. The boy gave him a smooth rock unlike the rest he’d been seeing, with a swirl and the Uchiha clan symbol etched carefully on its surface. _

_ “I’ll give you something better when I can, ‘ttebayo,” Naruto said with a big, bright smile and leaned in to bump his nose with Sasuke’s, took his breath away. “Happy birthday, duckass.” _

_ The stone is comforting in the pouch hanging off his obi. ) _

“Now that we’re here, we should figure out our path.” Sasuke says as he sits, ignoring Naruto’s  _ ‘UGH’ _ and Karin’s slight frown as he shrugs off his bag. Taking out the map, he observes the web of ink that connects one place to another. “We’ve only just breached the Land of Cascades, and with such a simple map there’s no telling where the major ravines are or any natural landmarks we can use as visual for their path. But there are small towns and villages here and there.”

“Sasuke, you’ve been leading us thus far. When I said we could take a break, that includes you.” Han says, and Sasuke furrows his brows.

“We should plan ahead,”

“And we will, Sasuke-kun. But there’s no use thinking on an empty stomach. Shinobi Rule #17. ” Karin says from beside him, smiling, and Sasuke rolls his eyes because that’s _ definitely _ not a rule. But it’s nice to see her get playful; over their time traveling together, she’s grown a bit from just following them around and staying quiet. He saw her elbow Naruto in the side once and was pleased.. For the most part. Naruto picks up a fish, blowing on it and practically shoves it in his face.

“C’mon, ‘ttebayo! This one should put some meat on your bones!” Naruto says, and Sasuke flicks him in the forehead, making Karin snicker and Han shake his head idly.

Midway through the lunch— dinner? Time’s an illusion—, Han buries the fish bone into the ground, finally turning to the rest of them. He’s no better than Kakashi, hiding beneath that mask.

“If we’re going to continue this journey,” Han says, and it makes Sasuke’s brain get rid of anything he had been thinking about before to make room for more information. He tries not to look concerned, but shows his attentiveness by looking up from the fire. “There is something you all should know.”

“What is it, Han-san?” Karin asks, looking far more worried than she should— but he can’t fault her, he thinks, not when the symbol on her hitai-ate’s crossed out, signifying the end of her shinobi ways—. Naruto’s eyes are blue and blown, flickering between the other three people in the circle as he digs his teeth in his fish.

“It’s clear you understand the threat of Konohagakure’s shinobi chasing us. Even with no sighting of them in the last few months, it does not hurt to be cautious.” Han says. “But a greater threat looms; the Akatsuki.”

“The cat ski?” Naruto asks.

“A-kha-tsu-ki.” Sasuke provides. Naruto makes an ‘o’ shape with his mouth.  “A group, I take it?”

The man grunts. “Not just a group. An full fledged organization, made up of ninja gone rouge and high in ranks.” Han says, serious and low. “Iwagakure… was not the most righteous. At some point during the Second Tsuchikage’s reign they were set on collecting more bijū, beyond the two they had. However, the village’s effort had been thwarted when the Akatsuki had been discovered to have the same goal.”

Sasuke watches Naruto from the corner of his eye, who has abandoned his fish, the corners of his mouth pulling down. There’s an itch in Sasuke’s hand to reach out.

“To collect the bijū?” Karin says, rather than asks, and Han nods.

“One of our own men had defected from the village to join them. A disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, Iwa no Deidara. Since then, there have been numerous accounts, and though there had been no further attempt a portion of the village did get destroyed in his departure.” Han says. “They’re still active, still looking for bijū to collect. That means that both I and Naruto are their targets.”

“And the rest?” Naruto asks, not even letting a moment of distressed silence pass. Sasuke turns to see how he’s gripping at the stick, straining beneath the grip. “There’s more jinchūriki, right?”

Han nods slowly. “As far as I know, there is at least one in every major village. Kokuō tells me there is nine in existence— Rōshi, the Yonbi jinchūriki, had been in Iwagakure with me. But I do not know where he is, though I believe he still holds ties to the village.”

“Then we have to find them. All of them. If we’re in danger, then so are they, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto says, and it’s the most Naruto thing he could ever say, Sasuke thinks. The look on his face is different, no longer showing anxiety but total determination. He has to resist the urge to grin when Han blinks owlishly at the boy. Karin’s eyes go wide. Sasuke, however, feels something swell inside his chest; pride, maybe, for his friend being so unwavering. Or fear, because it’s sure to kill him one day— if Sasuke were to let it. “You think I’m just gonna go to Uzushio and leave them behind?  _ Fuck _ no. They’re our people, Han-niisan, human weapons like us. Who are being hunted.”

“Naruto-kun,” Han begins, but the boy only stands, turns on his heel. Sasuke doesn’t want to paint an image of himself by stretching to look at his face, but instead looks up, seeing the fiery rays of sun bounce off gold and crimson strands.

“... Once upon a time, I let everyone precious to me die.” He says, sudden and solmen, tension falling on the four of them like a slab of stone. The pain of this kind of silence is all too familiar. Sasuke can only focus on the other’s fist, the stick in his hand cracks as he clutches tightly onto it. “I’m not letting that happen again.”

The fire goes out.

They march on, with Naruto’s relentlessness, through damp dirt and over large holes. The trees ate away more and more at the light above, the sun’s descent making the sky melt from a burst of blue to reds and pinks, orange to violet, till all that’s left is darkness. And though the treetops have grown so thick that there’s only pins of moonlight hitting the ground, he knows the stars are out.

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke’s eyes crack wide open from a dream where his family had still been breathing, the sweat on his skin sticky and disgusting, and the tears that fall from his eyes are aggressively wiped away with the back of his hand. It’s too warm suddenly, and he tries to move, but even with the little light, he can see why when he hears Karin mutter something from beside him, and an arm that’s undoubtedly Naruto’s is slung over him. 

Han had taken first watch. It had been Naruto’s turn next, but Sasuke doesn’t bother waking him up for it. So he slowly shimmies out from between his comrades— hard one of them is an aggressive cuddler—, snorting a bit to see Naruto making a face. He stands, bent only a bit to throw his haori over Karin and Naruto. It’s uncomfortable, just a mesh shirt to cover the chest, but the night will take care of the rest.

Sasuke shuffles around to check on the bags, takes out a scroll or two from his. He turns to walk towards a large log just a bit of ways away, where a 6 foot something man sits. Han turns to see him, looking relaxed. Sasuke guesses being powerful can do that.

“Sasuke-kun. I thought you would go after Naruto-kun.” He says, and Sasuke shrugs as he takes a seat next to him. It’s weird, and he’s not as good at getting used to people as Naruto is.

“Change of plans.” Sasuke says flatly. He doesn’t want to talk more than he has to. He can feel Han’s eyes on him, like they want to figure him out, but he’s not worried about that. He’s good at hiding. “I’ll keep watch here. You can go now.”

“Maybe once I feel more tired.” Han says, just as flat, and Sasuke really doesn’t feel like arguing. Instead, he reads the labels on the scrolls he had taken with as much of the light provided; _ Uchiha Hiden: Mastery of the Clan Arts  _ and  _ Sharingan: the Gift of Love. _ The latter looked like an older scroll. Both are far too personal to read next to an outsider; or, at least, someone who wasn’t Naruto. So he stashes them away instead, in favor of staring at nothing as he idly messes with the beads of his father's bracelet.

Han, Sasuke realizes, is just as enthusiastic at conversing as he is; which is to say, it’s shit on the ground. Naruto is loud, boisterous, shouts what he thinks and feels the moment they happen because he can’t hear himself. Karin isn’t as carefree, talks much softer, but as the days pass by he finds that she, too, is chatty. An Uzumaki thing, he thinks. But the silence that comes even when someone else is sitting beside you is something familiar to him; he has yet to think about whether or not he prefers it so.

“I have not apologized for our brawl.” Han says solemnly, soundly like the most polite being in the entire universe. ‘Hn’ is all he come up with to say, eyes searching for stars in the sky, making shapes out with his eyes rather than recall any constellations that actually exist. “You Konohagakure folk fight like the leaves your village was named after. I haven’t seen someone fight so light on their toes in a while.”

Sasuke supposes there’s a difference in fighting styles. Personally, he preferred more aerodynamic movement; helps more with his fire. In his clan, use of the legs was often more common, and gave him an edge when he and Naruto would try to kick one another down a hill.

“... Yeah.” Sasuke says ( dumbly so, honestly, ). He contemplates his next words, though not as carefully. “We didn’t have to fight. It was pointless, because you joined us anyway.”

Han actually laughs a bit at that, makes Sasuke’s brows furrow. But it ceases soon enough as the large man puts his elbows on his knees, form hunched as he leans forward. Just a bit more and he’ll fall off the ledge, he thinks. Steam seeps out from the armor, warming up the air and only adding to the night heat. Han’s eyes meet his. “What rank are you, Sasuke-kun?”

“Why?”

“I’m asking.”

He scoffs a little at that. “... Genin.” Sasuke says. It doesn’t hurt to say; whatever rank he is doesn’t matter to him. Not when increasing it meant staining your hands red and breaking more pieces of yourself for your country. Han hums.

“I was a shinobi of Iwagakure, where there is little room for choice, and I had been for a time. To go against Iwagakure meant getting punished. The Tsuchikage is my grandfather, and I am a jinchūriki. I grew up during a time of constant time of war, in a nation that turns to it every time. In everything I do, everything I say, how I act… it’s not just my face alone I am representing.” Han says. He looks away from Sasuke then, out at the vast space of bush, stone, and wood. Sasuke can understand how one can find appeal in such a place; maybe it’s just the need to see life thriving between the crevices in the form of grass. “I had been bound by factors that were out of my hands. When you live in such a way for so long, it’s difficult to think that there’s a way out. Especially when the Land of Earth is so closed off to the rest of the world.”

Sasuke can understand that. After all, it’s what happened to Itachi, who couldn’t imagine any other way out. But there’s a part of him that doubts, compares Han to Naruto who got dealt shit cards and dropped everything when he realized it, but there’s no point in arguing.

“... That boy,” Han continues after a lull of silence. “Naruto-kun. He’s a funny one, isn’t he?”

“I guess. He’s a clown.” Sasuke says, and the smirk that follows comes so easily. He quickly makes his lips go into a thin line, subtly trying to hide his face by tilting his head enough to have his bangs cover it. “... He’s persistent. Lots of faith. Annoying.”

“Hm.” Is all Han says, but a glint in his eyes makes Sasuke wish he hadn’t said anything at all. Eventually, the large man retreats with a small yawn and a near-silent _ ‘goodnight Sasuke’ _ .

Sasuke, for god knows how long, looks at his hands. It comes to him easier, the Sharingan, as he squints in the dimness of the forest; the tattoos Naruto had given him. The intricate art of fūinjutsu, etched into his skin, with chakra coursing through the ink. The kanji for lightning rests in one palm, and in a moment of heavy consideration the kanji for water rests on another.

_ ( “Once we get to Uzushio, we’re going to be surrounded by sea,” Sasuke had reasoned, though his face felt like it was on fire with the way Naruto gapes at him, fingers stained with black. “Learning how to master suiton only makes sense.” _

_ “Hey, hey, katon and raiton are good too!” Naruto says enthusiastically, smiling far too brightly for Sasuke’s tired eyes. And then, very quietly as he paints the seals Sasuke’s skin, he speaks. “With my fūton and suiton… we’re just  _ **_good_ ** _ together, y’know?” _

_ Sasuke didn’t know what to say to that. ) _

The sound of a splash attracts his attention, sends him on the defense as he quickly takes a kunai into his hand, and something tingles in his bones. If there has been a splash, that means the unknown person (enemy, you should always assume anyone you don’t know is an enemy when you’re in a position to be taken out) is closer than he’d like them to be. His hands are swift as a clone poofs into existence.

“I’ll be back,” He says, not to it but to his comrades. Sasuke makes haste to check out the scene, light on his toes as he makes out stray twigs and dry leaves.

An alarm goes off in his head when he sees that nothing’s in the river. He hadn’t seen anything else on the way either, remained vigilant even with the darkness obscuring his normal vision. He inspects the ground, looking for a rock turned over or a footprint.

And then he realizes. _Bait._

An owl makes itself known at the other side of the river, on a tall tree, and Sasuke doesn’t have time to think when a flurry of weapons dart out at him, nearly gets his foot but he’s quick enough to jump back, taking a scroll out of his pocket and unraveling it. With a burst of chakra to the seal, Kusanagi comes right out.

Someone tries to catch him from behind, his heart leaping in his throat, but he doesn’t falter as he jams the blade into the ground and uses it to aid his momentum as he twists himself and lets his foot hit the Taki-nin’s jaw. Another shinobi jumps from what seems like out of nowhere, and Sasuke doesn’t waste a second in pulling Kusanagi free and meeting the blade of a sickle, the bright orange spikes contracting to the light of the blue moon.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” The woman says, pressing forward enough to have the blunt end of Kusanagi almost hit his nose. “Konohagakure defect, Genin, S-Rank missing-nin and A-Rank criminal. Wanted  **dead.** Made quite the name for yourself, huh?”

Sasuke doesn’t have time to panic about it as he dodges a shuriken trying to cut at his ankles. “You could never.”

Three, four, five,  _ six  _ shinobi of jonin rank, all from Takigakure, are attacking him at once. What once was total silence is a mess of steel clashing together, of grunts and heaving, of water gushing as it tries to knock Sasuke down. He can’t stay and fight; that wastes time, he has people to protect, as much as Han has tried to teach him with what little downtime they allow themselves to have and as much as he hates to admit to himself, he can’t do this alone.

But the best course of action is for him to try. His comrades aren’t ordinary people. He’ll die anyway if they get caught.

_ You will not take me, _ he thinks, as he deflect a kunai.

_ You will  _ **_not_ ** _ take me, _

A swing to the gut.

_ You will  _ **_not_ ** _ kill me, _

A kick to the small of a nin’s back.

_ You will  _ **_not_ ** _ touch them. Not while I’m still alive. _

One of the nin’s foot is flying towards him, but Sasuke is quick to swerve it. There’s a fist, and knee, senbon, he can feel himself getting out of breath but still he moves because it’s not just his life riding on his success. But there’s too many of them, even stronger and more experienced, a fist driving itself right in his face when he dodges another’s blow. A kunai meant for his gut strikes his side instead, his body launched towards the river.

Sasuke doesn’t let himself fall, with enough finesse to let only his feet skid across the surface. Heartbeat in his ears, the shinobi come for him again, and he moves as best as he can across the water to the side his comrades—  _ friends _ — are on, the side of his thigh getting cut makes him falter just a bit.

“Think you can handle this on your own, boy?” A Taki-nin says, and he swears under his breath, prays in his mind that somehow they’ll all just drop unconscious and his team can make their getaway— “Six against one. You’re going to die, Uchiha.”

The gods prove themselves. They listen. But maybe, _just_ maybe, he regrets it. Because the moment that sickle comes up, the steel basking in moon, there’s a sound of a thousand birds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- *oh shit from fergie’s ‘london bridge’ sfx*  
> \- that’s all
> 
> see yall around ;-) hmu at blanksuke on tumblr if you wanna talk


	17. cascades - pt ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sasuke and naruto are magnets for conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! im back!! i'll admit this chapter's kind of rushed but i still hope you all still enjoy it!!

In Konohagakure, abandoning the mission for your friends might as well qualify for treason.

For Kakashi, abandoning your comrades might as well earn you a spot in hell.

So what happens when your comrade is the mission? What happens when they’re you’re target, a danger to the village and evidently the world at large because of their circumstances, but you don’t believe it to be so? Life poses tough choices, sometimes harder than humans could hake their limited minds make.

For the lack of a better word, it’s a shock to see his student again. He no longer dons a dark outfit with the Uchiha crest— a classic Meadows look, any other person could mistake him for a Kusa-nin. His hair is longer, he has strange markings along the forearms, he looks skinnier and yet the amount of force behind his swings and kicks goes to show looks can be deceiving.

And on his own, Sasuke is graceful. With a katana that looks like it could cut with a simple touch, he’s otherworldly. But in the end, he’s only still just a boy.

It’s Kakashi’s instinct to protect a comrade, a friend, that makes himself known. The high screech of lightning dancing in his palm alerts the enemy— that’s what Sasuke is supposed to be, too, but Kakashi refuses—, and his feet move without a second thought. Years of battle and familiarity has him ending the battle shortly after it’s begun, and the shinobi that stood on the water now sink beneath it, turning it red.

Killing comes naturally. But Sasuke’s face— a boy who had trouble expressing anything beyond a small smirk or a scowl, who had trouble trusting—does not.

Though his mouth doesn’t gape, no flared nostrils, the boy’s eyes are filled with fear. Skin looking a little blanche, and Kakashi has a feeling it’s not from the wound he sustains. Because he, too, has memories of the dead.

The last time he saw him, Sasuke had an imbalance of tomoe in each eye, 2 to 1, because his best friend had almost been killed. With three in both eyes now, Kakashi has to wonder what kind of pain did he go through.

No words are spoken, the silence far too thick and heavy to break. The chakra in Kakashi’s hand hasn’t died yet, and he flexes his fingers before he darts forward again, heart threatening to leap out of his chest when Sasuke’s eyes widen, and Kakashi can feel the chakra coming of off him as Sasuke’s hand sparks with lightning of his own, feeble compared to Kakashi’s storm.

He’s planning to cancel out, but by the looks of it he knows he can blow off his arm trying. Sasuke’s eye never leave his own. Something sinks in Kakashi’s stomach.

He is his  _ mission, _ but he is his  _ comrade. _

The jutsu fizzles out, just when Kakashi is about to repeat history, and instead of driving a hole straight through his student—  _ just a boy, is this how you felt, Minato-sensei? _ —he ignores everything he’s supposed to be doing and more, pulls Sasuke into his arms, lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He can feel Sasuke tremble in his arms, something he wouldn’t have been able to see because Sasuke’s scarily good at putting up a front.

Sasuke doesn’t hug him back— he never expected him to, surprised he himself even dragged him in in the first place—  but he eases, the crackle of lightning in his palm dying out.

“Are you two safe,” Kakashi asks, to the point. “Where is he? Naruto?”

“I can’t tell you that, can I?” Sasuke replies, almost sadly, and it’s true. A moment of silence makes Kakashi pull back. “He’s fine. Alive. Sakura?”

“Passed her exams, she’s chūnin.”

Sasuke doesn’t look too happy.

“You were going to kill me, right?” He asks, more like says, with a flat tone. But his shoulders are tense beneath Kakashi’s hands as his stare bores into Kakashi’s eyes. “So Konohagakure wants us dead.”

“Not Naruto.” Kakashi admits. “Just you.”

The unrealistic thing about novels is that moments like these last more than a few seconds. That reunions in the chokehold of such a world can last for a while, that Kakashi can just sit down and say whatever he’d like to and Sasuke the same. But they don’t have that kind of time. Aren’t in that kind of situation. There’s a certain fire behind the boy’s eyes that lets Kakashi know that a flood of emotion is just barely being kept back by the confines of his skin.

“... Sensei, come with us.” Sasuke says, as if it’s as simple as that, and Kakashi doesn’t really want to have this talk because ideally this would never be happening.

“Sasuke,”

“Back in Waves, you told us you didn’t agree with the shinobi rules. You gave us reason to believe that we should not let ourselves just be shinobi, that we’re human, too.” Sasuke says, a little more rushed, and though it’s not exactly desperate there’s a trace of turmoil. “The village, it hurt you too, didn’t it?”

There’s no response.

“You didn’t kill me when you were supposed to, because you don’t want to,” Sasuke continues, and Kakashi resists the urge to chew the inside of his mouth from behind his mask. “You don’t  _ have _ to stay there, sensei, we can— ”

“You need to go.” Kakashi says simply, because they don’t have time. He killed six men of an allied country, the stars in the sky already fading as they enter the last stretch of the night. The world—  his world, is so much complicated than that. He has people waiting for him; his team, just beyond the border. Within Konoha’s walls, with the Inuzukas, his other fellow comrades, Sakura. There’s no pride to his name; Hatake is a dead name, but he still carries it, still wants to right what his father did wrong.

Sasuke’s eyes widen, just a bit. He’s quiet and unmoving for a few moments despite what Kakashi had just said. He looks like he wants to argue, because that’s just who he is, and yet his feet are pulling him back, away from Kakashi. The water shifts beneath his soles and he hasn’t said a single word in return, but he doesn’t need to. The boy almost looks sad, and it’s devastating. He just keeps moving further and further away, and Kakashi turns his face away.

And it hurts. Because he’s lost so, so many people in his life. But never like this. And by the time Kakashi looks, he’s gone again.

 

* * *

 

It’s probably been hours since they’ve moved out at the earliest break of sunlight, when Sasuke woke them up probably a whole hour before that, looking the most frantic he’s ever seen him be since Waves. He hasn’t been talking, and frankly Naruto doesn’t appreciate his Sasuke Senses being on fire.

Or maybe it’s not Sasuke Senses. Kushina, his mother… she had a weird power. Han says every jinchūriki have their own special ability, something only they and their bijū share, no one else. Despite Kyūbi being the demonic equivalent to a grumpy old geezer who bats at him with a broom, Kushina let him know that the fox has an uncanny ability to detect negative emotions, though she herself only knew that from Mito.

It makes him think. The utter loathing of his existence by the people around him was next to impossible to ignore. But was it really as bad as it was, or did the demon just glorify it? Naruto hates that he’s still doubting.

He quickly knocks any other tangents down. This isn’t about him, it’s about Sasuke! Karin and Han seem to be just fine, but Sasuke… something had to had happened, and he’s not telling him. As much as Sasuke likes to tease him about his habits, Naruto knows the guy like the back of his hand and the coins his wallet.

When Sasuke is having one of those days— days of total, unmoving, prolonged silence, where Naruto can see quiet tears building up on the other’s waterline—, Sasuke hovers him. He doesn’t talk, just sticks to Naruto and does nothing. Sasuke’s hand is loose in his own, almost like it takes too much energy to hold it in the first place. He’s looking ahead, but Naruto’s not really sure he’s taking in any of the scenery at all.

“Hey,” Naruto tries, giving the other’s hand a squeeze to attract his attention. Sasuke blinks slowly before he looks over at him. That’s a good sign, he thinks. He tries not to look too worried, nerves eased a bit. “You okay?”

“... I’m fine.” He says, very— and Karin taught him this word—aloof. Naruto can feel stress coming off of him like waves, threatening to knock anyone around down. But he’s nothing if not, to quote the local toy store keeper,  _ ‘a persistent little shit’. _ Sasuke keeps staring, and he grows a bit more concerned at just how… tired he looks.

“You think I didn’t notice how you rattled us up earlier?” Naruto says, mentally dividing his attention for a moment as he and Sasuke pass over a log in front of them, but he refuses to let go of Sasuke’s hand. It’s amazing how in tune they are, he thinks. “You know you can talk to me, ‘ttebayo.”

Sasuke doesn’t respond. Not immediately, anyway, and with the way he looks down at his feet Naruto thinks he’s not going to get anything out of him right now. Which is fine, of course, he doesn’t want to force him to talk but the amount of tension he’s getting from Sasuke is just really really worrying and he’s, like, the most important person ever so—

“I saw Kakashi.”

Naruto’s brain comes to an absolute halt. “... Huh?”

“Earlier. Before I woke you all up. I saw Kakashi.” Sasuke says, still not looking at him. He doesn’t know what to feel— relief that Kakashi’s still around because shinobi just keep getting killed like flies? Or scared because it just means they’ve still got him to worry about? “Don’t think about it too hard. No use in it anyway.”

Naruto can’t believe him. Doesn’t, actually, because while Naruto grew close to Iruka— _ how is he? _ —, Sasuke had attached himself to Kakashi, whether he wanted to admit it or not. The way Sasuke would walk ahead, hands resting languidly in his pockets, had that same distant expression and slight narrowing of the eye… he would get all flushed when Sakura would call him out on it and stomp on Naruto’s foot when he’d do the same. There’s a phantom pain there.

But that’s not what matters right now. Because it’s been months since they’ve last heard of Kakashi, and there was a  _ direct _ confrontation.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Naruto says, doesn’t hold back a frown, because he can’t do that with Sasuke. The other boy only shrugs subtly, takes a glance at him from the corner of his eye before looking somewhere else. It’s no wonder he seemed so… lost.

“... He’s supposed to be an enemy anyway.” Sasuke says, but his eyes are sad—  _ he’s _ sad, and that makes Naruto sad, too. The boy tightens his hold on his hand. “Every shinobi of Konohagakure is.”

“But he’s just not any shinobi, Sasuke,” Naruto tries to reason, because it’s true. “He was our sensei, ‘ttebayo! He has a face and a name… we knew him. You don’t have to forget about him.”

Sasuke’s brows furrow, and he finally looks at Naruto with eyes he can’t quite figure out. It’s like he’s trying to drill his thoughts into his brain, but he himself knows he’s not that bright, and if Sasuke’s got anything to say he’s gonna have to spell it out.

“... As long as he’s wearing that hitai-ate and on his mission,” He says, low, as if it was only for Naruto to hear and no one else, not even the nature that surrounds them. “That would be best.”

Naruto feels the need to argue otherwise, because no, it’s not that easy to just… forget. He knows Sasuke knows that. But just when he opens his mouth, Sasuke stops in his tracks, and Naruto can feel something pull at the inside of his gut; something telling, familiar. He furrows his brows at the thought of having to keep this conversation for later.

“... Where are Han and Karin?” Sasuke asks, and Naruto huffs because  _ duh, _ they’re right in front of—

And then they’re not, the pull getting stronger as Naruto chews at the inside of his mouth, eyes trying to search for the reds among the green of the forest. But there’s nothing, and he has to resist the urge to smack his hand on his forehead as he instead scratches sheepishly at the back of his neck with his other hand, smiling apologetically at Sasuke. Who, frankly, has dropped the look of total emptiness for one full of irritation. He even drops Naruto’s hand in favor of crossing his arms.

“Oops?”

_ “Naruto,” _

“Okay, okay, let’s not get too angry now!” Naruto says, because that’s probably the opposite of what he wants. So he engaged in a heartfelt conversation at a bad time, but really, who hasn’t? “I totally can find them! I’m an Uzumaki, remember? They couldn’t have gone far, ‘ttebayo!”

Sasuke raises a brow, but says nothing. In all honesty, Naruto really doesn’t know how he’s supposed to track them by chakra alone— Karin doesn’t make a hand sign when she’s sensing, so maybe it’s just something you have to think really hard about? With a breath, he closes his eyes, bringing his hands together. He’ll figure it out.

_ Hamako, Kaasan, Kyūbi,  _ Naruto thinks, tension building between his brows as they knit together.  _ Help me out here. _

He tries to focus on the general feel of Han and Karin. He’s not as good as the latter; she seems to have a better grasp on all of their chakras, but he can try. Han’s signature is very… heated. But calm, powerful but even. White, maybe, if he had to give it a color. Karin’s is a lot different, like it’s bouncing around, less fiery than what Naruto— or rather Hamako,— remembers Kaoru’s being. It grounds him in a weird way. He’d probably think her chakra’s as red as her hair.

Naruto doesn’t find a signature he knows in his heart. No, instead, there’s something-- someone else. They’re not close enough for him to make out an exact feel, but he doesn’t want to stay long enough to find out.

“Well?”

“Someone’s nearby. And it’s not Han-nii or Karin-nee.” Naruto says, opening his eyes to see Sasuke’s eyes bleed red, scanning the area. He still never asked how he managed to get three tomoe. “We’d better go, or else we’ll never hear the end of it if we get into a fight.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say something like that, Uzumaki.” Sasuke says with a slight smirk and Naruto can put up with the teasing if it means getting Sasuke out of his funk. The smirk fades, though, and he’s squinting at something Naruto doesn’t quite see till he turns around. A bubble, bright and iridescent, floating by. “... You wouldn’t happen to know if we’re near a village, right?”

“Could be, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto chirps, taking a moment to consider the bubble—  _ Naruto whatever you do don’t touch it _ —before poking at it.

It doesn’t pop. And with another poke, it takes in his hand.  _ Fuck. _

_ I told you so _ , says a voice in his head; Hamako, of course, and he makes sure to paint a clear picture of him flipping him off in his head.

“What the hell?” Sasuke says in disbelief, and damn, this is just embarrassing. He doesn’t want to get eaten by a fucking bubble of all things! He keeps trying to pull himself free, but the bubble only expands.

“Oh, f—“

“Watch your hands,” Sasuke says, pulling out a kunai and throwing it without much of a delay ( or even waiting for Naruto to, you know, prepare, ), and a yelp leaves Naruto as he braces himself, eyes shut. But all he hears is something fall on the ground, and he opens up an eye to see the kunai on the grass instead.

“Back up, Sasuke! I’ll pop this thing no problem, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto exclaims, pushing his other hand into the bubble while keeping the rest of his body from touching it. Fingers weave themselves into signs, the wind kanji feeling heavy with chakra. “ _ Fūton: Gale Palm! _ ”

A storm of air whirls within the confines of the bubble, but it doesn’t pop. Well, shit.

“A jinchūriki and his playmate.” Says a voice, and Naruto barely registers it. He almost thinks he’s gone crazy and is hearing shit, but Sasuke’s face of alert shows otherwise as crimson eyes try to search around. “Rumors about you two are bigger than you are. To think a couple of kids are the new Big Bads of the world.”

The bubble his arms are trapped in expands, and he desperately tries to keep his body away from the surface.

“Dammit— Naruto!” Sasuke shouts, and he can feel a pull on his obi as the boy tries to pull, but the bubble only follows with him. Naruto grits his teeth as he puts up a foot, putting it against the bubble’s surface. But despite his best efforts, it takes his foot too, and with a wail he’s trapped.

Sasuke looks absolutely horrified. Naruto just thinks this is ridiculously embarrassing. More bubbles manifest from seemingly out of nowhere, and Naruto never thought he’d be afraid to see so many of them in one place.

“Sasuke!” He shouts, the other boy’s jaw set as he pulls a set of cutting string from out a scroll— he’s surprisingly good with them—, flicking his wrists quick enough that Naruto can’t even see his hands moving, swiping at the bubbles. But they, too, only grow in size, and not even a minute passes before Sasuke’s forced into the same bubble as him.

“Dammit!” Naruto bites out, trying to claw at the sides instead, but to no avail. Sasuke tries to kick, but it only gives underneath his foot.

Sasuke perks up, looking off somewhere— probably heard something, he thinks, and Naruto swears in his head that the bubble just makes things worse for his hearing. Instead, his eyes look for some kind of abnormality before seeing a figure on a tree branch, looking like this is just a Sunday stroll or some shit.

**Saiken?** Something gruff says, but he’s never heard that name in his life. But he knows exactly what it means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some notes:
> 
> \- kakashi is hard to write and i’ll be the first one to say that najkdsf
> 
> \- the naruto/sasuke talks wont end here i assure you!! i think they can use some catching up
> 
> \- i was debating on whether or not to introduce utakata considering it’s still pretty early but… i couldn’t wait NSDKJNSD
> 
> \- just wanna ask, how are we feeling about the story so far in general? ive been thinking it’s going a little slow but idk. feel free to let me know!
> 
> thanks so much for reading!! feel free to hmu @ blanksuke on tumblr

**Author's Note:**

> as always please leave a comment bc i love reading those! next chapter we'll be getting into the stuff. also the title for this fic is kind of a placeholder.


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